Never Too Late
by Cyan Rubies
Summary: Because amidst all the pain and regret, she found out that the universe hated her then, and it still hated her now. Plan A never seemed to work out, anyway. OC/Self-Insert.
1. The Beginning

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

 **This is loosely based off the song 'Never Too Late' by Three Days Grace. This will be a SI/OC fanfiction, and I'll appreciate feedback a lot :)**

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 **Enjoy.**

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 _"This world will never be what I expected... And if I don't belong, who would have guessed it?"- Three Days Grace_

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* * *

The last thing she remembered was a blinding pain, a loud screech of brakes, and a sense of calm.

Her life didn't flash before her eyes, but she was plunged into what seemed to be a void. Which was disappointing, she would have liked to recall her good old memories once more before she left for good.

What happened was an accident, in its entirety. But some bystanders claim that they saw her walking onto the road right in front of the approaching onslaught of vehicles.

That was partially correct though. She had been wandering around, dazed from stress... and it just happened. Inwardly she laughed.

She could already hear the rumours that would float around at her funeral, how she had seemingly committed suicide... But that would just prove that no one of them ever understood her, didn't it? She didn't mind dying, but she would never want to bring pain to her family willingly.

Never.

Her family was the most precious to her. She could still feel the warmth of her mother's touch on her cheek as she left the house to head to work, unaware that it wad the last time she would get to speak to them ever again. She was only twenty when the accident happened.

Where was she headed, in any case?

The darkness around her seemed to move in the most dizziest of ways, and there was what seemed to be light at the end of the tunnel.

 _'Don't go into the light'._

In the movies, that was always what they said and she had to wonder why.

The light was so very enticing. It felt warm and inviting and welcoming, so unlike the stifling darkness she was currently clouded in, which made her feel like she could choke on it at any moment.

So go into the light she did.

Overwhelmed by a rush of warmth, her eyes squeezed shut and she suddenly felt like doubling over and vomiting- It felt like she had been forcefully yanked out of a squeezer.

She felt weak, she felt exposed, she felt...vulnerable, even.

As soon as she opened her mouth, she was embarrassed to find that she had let loose a loud wail.

Hearing a few sighs of relief, there was a familiar sense of motherly warmth as something fluffy wrapped around her, providing her with a source of warmth, at least. Someone held her close, and briefly she felt comforted, swallowing down the fear that had coerced her into starting to cry.

The voices around her were otherwise muffled, however she did catch wind of the exchange going on between what seemed to be a nurse and the person holding her.

"Fusako-san, what would you like to name her?"

For a fact, she did not have a mother called 'Fusako'.

A pair of warm arms cradled her gently, as if she was the most delicate thing in the world, and she could hear a warm voice emanating from the person who held her. The woman's voice bore just a trace of weariness, and brimmed with love for the newborn.

"Aguri. I'd like to her name to be Aguri."

To say that 'Aguri' was confused was an understatement. Somehow along the way of dying, she had gotten herself a body of a baby, and a new mother.

Somehow, she was reborn as a little girl called 'Aguri Fusako'. Or rather, that would be who she is from now on.

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* * *

Aguri was a rather quiet baby, and it was something she was rather proud of. And finally, after what seemed to be a year, she could finally see properly, hear properly, and do some basic things by herself properly.

After all, every time a friend of her new mother popped by, they would be complaining about how their child was so difficult to calm down. On cue, Aguri decided on the spot that she would be a good girl (most of the time, that is), so that her mother would have an easier time.

In fact, she was quite proud to be able to resist the urges of her new-born body to scream at any opportunity she had. At any rate, she was satisfied that her mother seemed to buy that she was an innocent, air-headed little girl. She honestly didn't want any attention to be drawn towards herself, positive or not.

When she had first been born, she had been horrified that she was unable to see anything, due to her under-developed body. When she tried to talk, it still came out as a gurgling mess, but Aguri already had the words at the top of her head. In the beginning, she had always been panicking in her mind when she was unable to do anything.

Being helpless wasn't enjoyable. Her pride for surviving 20 years of life might as well have been chucked down the drain- Now, she had to swallow her pride, because her chubby and short limbs were unable to do anything in the least.

Being a toddler was good, in certain ways. All she was expected to do was eat and sleep. Ah, the good life.

Today, in particular, was a day to look forward to. She would finally be able to meet her father, who had been away somewhere ever since she was born.

Boy, did she love her mother.

Fusako Aoi, formerly named Miyusawa Aoi, had lovely hazel eyes and hair the pretty shade of honey- and in nearly all aspects, she reminded her dearly of her real mother, down to the twinkling of her eyes, to the way she ruffled her hair. Her eyes were even the same hue as her own mother's, however, their hair was completely different- Her old mother had pitch-black hair that flowed like liquid darkness, however, her current mother had pale honey hair that was short and choppy in certain areas.

However, Aoi Fusako did always seem to be on guard against something, even when directed to her with love, there was always something else that looked like she was expecting something to happen. The alertness in which she regarded the world with made Aguri wonder, and sometimes her mother would catch her staring and give her an assuring smile.

She always thought there would be an explanation for the strange behaviour. Maybe she would get one, someday.

That day, when her mother opened the door for her father, the moment Aguri's eyes landed on her father, she thought, _'Oh shit'._

Instead of tackling her father in a hug like she planned too, she spent her time gaping at him. She wasn't taking in his features though.

Her eyes were fixated at the forehead protector he donned and the familiar sign that was engraved on it. And the arm that was heavily bandaged and even had some blood seeping through worn-out bandages. From his posture, he was tired, but from his expression, he was happy to be alive.

Her father was a shinobi of Konohagure, no doubt, and he has just returned from a mission.

 _How on earth did she end up in Naruto?!_

She had immediately ran to the nearest window and stared out frantically, looking for anything that would prove her observation wrong, and hoping that her dad was just an extremely good cosplayer.

But no, across the street, a group of ten year-olds were complaining as they held logs in their arms, with an adult leading the way. All of the wore forehead protectors, or at least had it on their person. Genin, and on a D-rank mission, probably.

She froze in realisation, her eyes growing wide at the mix of bubbling and conflicting emotions within.

It didn't make sense at all. Why was she here?

How... Just how? How was it humanly possible that she was born in a _fictional_ universe that was supposed to not exist. How was it possible that she was now in this universe, and being a real person in this universe? How was it possible that she was born here, and was now 'Fusako Aguri', when she was supposed to be dead?

And among all the anime and manga she could've landed in, too. Of course, it had to be Naruto!

Of course it had to be the one anime that tore her heart apart and made her lose many precious nights of sleep, only to fall back into it's enticing claws again.

Wonderful. Not that she was complaining, but she was grateful for the fact that she was here, instead of some other anime. Sure, the show she known as Naruto was messed up in certain ways, but there was other disturbing anime she would rather never think about, much less end up reincarnated in.

But still... why? And how did this place even exist?

Wasn't this just a manga drawn up by Kishimoto?

Her thoughts ran around in her head, disorganized and panicked, screaming as they went around in big circles, but she still couldn't fathom how she was here.

This sucked. She didn't go through puberty and heartbreak just to have to deal with it again! And considering that time always flew fast, it wouldn't be long before she was forced to be a ninja, too.

Suddenly surrounded by a warm embrace, Aguri glanced up as her father wrapped his arms around her and hoisted her up. Or at least, he tried to, with his bandaged arm and all, but Aguri appreciated the effort and her mouth opened in worry as she noted that his injury looked extremely painful. However, she looked away, deciding that she would try to bring it up later.

Studying the man before her, there was no doubt he was her biological father, His ash-brown hair matched her own exactly, and her grey eyes also came from him without a doubt. On the other hand, her facial features look gentle and rather round... resembling her mother.

Her father ruffled her hair as he smiled at her, and she caught a kind twinkle in his eyes. A pang ran through her heart as she thought of her former father, and she shook her head slightly.

Promptly beginning to slobber one of her father's fingers as she nommed on it lightly, she heard a familiar feminine voice laugh as Aguri promptly broke away before running towards her mother.

As she opened her mouth, Aguri shot her mother a toothy grin as she exclaimed.

"Mama! 'Tis dada!"

Her mom was overjoyed over her first words ever spoken, and excitedly she leaned over to whisper in her father's ear. He beamed at her with pride, and looked relieved that she had recognised him as her father. Her mother tenderly held her father's hand as she led him to the couch nearby to talk.

How long has her father been away? More than a year, that's for certain.

Aguri smiled at the sweet reunion of the people who created her, as she ran over to the dining table and grabbed a handful of chocolate chips. Her mother had been mixing up batter for a cake before her father arrived. Aguri could never resist the semi-sweet chocolate chips.

"No, sweetie! So much chocolate isn't good for you!"

Aguri turned around and sent her mother a look with wide, pleading eyes.

"I said no."

Her heart sank as Aguri inwardly sighed, before dropping most of the chocolate but sneaking some into her mouth anyway.

In retaliation, she wobbled up to her mother and promptly began to slobber up her face, before beginning to speak again.

"Mama! Wha' happen'ta Dada's arm?"

Two sentences in a day may be an overkill, but Aguri hoped that her mother wouldn't think much of it. Her father wouldn't know that Aguri was a more quiet baby, so he wouldn't be so suspicious. Hopefully, her mother would understand that Aguri was rather excited to meet her new father that day.

"It's fine, sweetie. Dada will go to the hospital later, and the people there will make his arm all better!"

Aguri noticed how her had blatantly not used the term 'medic-nin'. In her disappointment, she crawled back to the dining table and promptly poured the whole bowl of chocolate chips into her mouth, allowing the sweetness to melt into her mouth.

And from that day on, her mother took extra care not to leave any sweets around.

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* * *

 _Naruto, huh?_

Aguri hoped she wouldn't be sucked into the main plot.

It all depended on if she was in the same year as Naruto or not. Honestly, she wouldn't mind knowing them, but the thought of being a ninja terrified her, to say the least. She may be years too early to even consider being a ninja, but Aguri knew that it would be the one thing that would always be on her mind.

At least now she could clear up some of her doubts. Her mother was obviously a former kunoichi, her father was definitely one as well. Probably an ANBU, from the long mission he received. Also, this may not be true, but her mother didn't seem to like the idea of her knowing anything ninja-related.

From what she had gathered, she was in the Fusako clan, and may or may not have a kekkei genkai- She wasn't sure.

She thought of having to train and let out a soft little groan in dread.

Aguri would rather not die again, at any rate. Or rather, she would rather die a natural death than get assassinated because of her own inability to defend herself.

Not only that... She had a family again. Aguri was lucky to be born in a loving family another time, but it would be foolish to take all she had for granted. She wanted to protect them, that she was sure.

Which obviously meant she had to get stronger, at any rate.

Chakra training could wait. She should start with physical training first and work on gaining as much information as possible.

Now that she thought of it, her spiritual energy and physical energy was probably messed up. There was no way the mind of an adult in the body of a child could ever work well.

With that thought in mind, Aguri got up and slinked into the miniature library they had in their home, and pretended to vandalize the books when her mother walked in to see what she was up to.

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 **To be continued.**

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 **If you enjoyed, do leave a review, follow or favorite :)**

 **-Cyan Rubies**


	2. Being Brave

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

 **Here is the second chapter of Never Too Late. If you interested, there's an author's note at the end!**

 **Enjoy~**

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After some poking around, Aguri found out that the Kyuubi attack took place two months before she was born.

She found out that her mother miraculously managed to survive, however, her birth hadn't been easy. A great many medic-nin along with other ninja had been annihilated. By a pure stroke of luck, her father survived, but only because he had left on a mission a day before.

How lucky her family was. How lucky _she_ was.

It was a miracle that her mother managed to live, seemingly unscathed.

She was overthinking it, but is her way of thinking really wrong? When Aguri thought of Naruto, she thought of tragedy and friendship and wars, but how could everything be flowing so smoothly?

She had a sinking feeling that something would happen soon. No, she would rephrase herself.

Something absolutely _had_ to happen. It was inevitable- She didn't belong in this bloody universe, for goodness' sake! It had been a frustrating few years in this universe, and she was in no way closer to solving this never-ending mystery of why she was here and why she was 'Aguri Fusako'.

In spite of everything, being in this world in person now made her look at her current parents in a new light.

How brave did they have to be to get close to each other, despite being aware they might lose each other eventually? How many dangers have they gone through? How many times did they come close to losing each other?

The answers were endless.

.

Apparently, her mother found Aguri's lack of interaction with other children her age to be a bad thing. She was now 4 years old, and she was immersed in her own training- which included studying and jogging. Finding her chakra was something she wanted to start on soon. Her mother disapproved of her wanting to be a kunoichi, but her father seemed perfectly content with it, even going so far as to 'accidentally' leave scrolls around that she could peruse.

Before they went visiting, Aguri always made sure to ask where exactly they were going, and as soon as her mother mentioned a familiar clan name, (For example, the Inuzuka's) she would deftly refuse to go, claiming that she would rather train. The main characters were to be avoided at all costs, so that she wouldn't form close connections until she went to the Academy- that would be a long time, considering her mother to seeming not want her to become a kunoichi.

Going back to the whole 'no friends' issue, she was once brought to what seemed to be a friend gathering. All of her mother's friends brought along their children, and Aguri panicked at the sight of about ten toddlers tripping over each other and drooling.

So, she nicked some candy from the table and slid outside into the garden, where she sat propped against the wall and sucking on candy as she stared into the distance. The candy was pineapple-flavoured and pleasantly sweet with just a tinge of fresh sourness... Just how she liked it. It brought her back into sweet memories, and it always comforted her.

She scowled at the thought of having to interact with other children at all and sighed when she thought of the other countless times her mother brought her out.

It was extremely frustrating to talk to other children. Aguri could hardly tell what they were saying most of the time, however she got annoyed at them sometimes. She wasn't an impatient person, but it might be that it was the impatience that came with being a child in general.

Or maybe she was just a coward, and she was using her impatience as an excuse to remain alone.

Needless to say, her mother was less than pleased to find her outside and surrounded by colourful (and alas, empty) wrappers, the only remains of her candy-consuming rage.

Her ear hurt especially after being dragged all the way back home, but she didn't regret anything. Not one bit.

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* * *

"Sweetie! Get changed, we're going to visit a good old friend of mine."

Her mother smiled warmly. Aguri always wondered why her mother called her 'Sweetie' when she wasn't such a sweet child, but maybe it had something to do with her love of candy.

In a way, it reminded her of how her old mother used to call her 'Baby'. She hadn't appreciated the childish nickname, but now she would do anything just to hear her mother's voice again.

Her father had went off to a check-up at the Konoha hospital, and Aguri did not really like the idea of going visiting again. Sighing, she spoke bluntly as she gripped the hem of her shirt.

"I don't want to, Mama."

Aguri's insides churned unpleasantly at the hurt look that flashed across her mother's eyes at her statement and she immediately regretted what she said.

Her mother walked over and knelt down to meet her own gaze, and gently placed her hand on top of Aguri's head. When she spoke, her voice sounded almost hesitant... and sad.

"Aguri," Her mother began slowly, the sad smile on her face seeming more evident than ever. The lack of her usual nickname made Aguri frown as she stared at her mother.

"I know you want to be a kunoichi when you grow up. I know you want to do nothing but train, but you know you're really worrying me? Other kids your age are out playing but here you are studying to be a ninja. You're a smart little girl, I know, but you should enjoy your childhood as much as you can."

Aguri knew that she was right. She'd been thinking about how much she wanted to grow strong, but she had foolishly forgotten that she was a child, and that it must be painful for her mother to watch her want to grow up so much. There was no doubt about the pain and loss her mother had gone through, and the experience her mother had was much more than Aguri had back at the time she was twenty and an adult.

However, she dreaded the very thought of meeting other people.

"If you want to be a kunoichi, I'll teach you all I know. But it pains me to see my little girl all alone, you know?"

The woman was gently highlighting the truth in her words, and Aguri appreciated how she did it.

Aguri marvelled at the similarities between her mother from last time, and the former kunoichi. The differences were subtle yet at the same time, glaring. Her old mother would have worried about her lack of friends, and respected she didn't want any. The woman known as Aoi Fusako, or formerly Aoi Miyusawa, respected that she didn't want friends, but still wanted her to at least try.

Slowly, Aguri stared in slight awe as she gave a small nod.

Her mother's expression was extremely contagious, and Aguri found herself humming along to her mother's mood. She watched in intrigue as Aoi Miyusawa got up and tugged slightly at her hand.

"Come on," Her mother smiled, light hazel eyes gleaming, and Aguri wondered if she should or should not be wary. What has she gotten herself into, anyway?

"Let's go somewhere, okay?"

.

The special somewhere that her mother had planned to bring was the park, which honestly confused her. The park was by all means a common place, with a few exceptions of some genin training nearby.

At the very least, she didn't have to dress up all that nicely. During her time here, Aguri had learnt to despise the stuffy clothes she was forced to wear as part of a visiting tradition of visiting prestigious clans- she had only visited one, but she had not liked it at all.

She once again noted the vast difference between the world she came from and the world known as 'Naruto'.

Aguri was made aware of her mother calling out to someone as she was immersed in her thoughts.

"Ah, Mikoto!"

Her mother's pace quickened suddenly and Aguri smiled at her mother's excitement. Whoever Mikoto was, she definitely seemed to be a good friend with her mother.

Suddenly, Aguri froze as she caught sight of a somewhat familiar woman. She had an impression that she had seen this woman somewhere before, but she just couldn't place the vague memory. Was this someone her mother had brought her to visit before? Aguri thought she would have remembered the distinct appearance of the lady who stood in front of both her mother and herself.

Long, flowing dark hair that looked almost a dark shade of midnight blue, and pitch black eyes that seemed to glimmer in the light around them. The woman stood with a perfect posture and her appearance overall reminded her of royalty.

But why did she seem so familiar? Racking her brains, she started to scan the miniature Naruto database that was her mind, when the mysterious figure in front of them turned around to beckon someone forward.

Aguri's eyes first caught sight of a large symbol of a fan on the back of her robes, and her eyes widened in horror.

Her eyes landed on a small black-haired boy standing behind his mother some distance away, his eyes shyly darting between his mother and what must have been two strangers in his point of view.

Sasuke Uchiha.

All her doubts went into place with a click, and as Mikoto Uchiha turned to face her with a kind smile, Aguri thought that it looked almost taunting. Undoubtedly, that was her own paranoia about the how irony of this meeting.

God damnit. So much for avoiding the main plot, or the main characters of Naruto. Or avoiding people in general.

With her luck so far, she might as well call it her demise.

.

Demise or not, Sasuke Uchiha had to be one of the most adorable little kids to exist. If Aguri had still been twenty, she would have squeezed Sasuke's cheeks and scold him for being cute. Unfortunately, she wasn't twenty, and she wasn't going to become one of Sasuke's future and obsessive fangirls.

Walking over, she prodded him lightly on the shoulder and sent him the friendliest smile she could muster up with.

"Hello, Sasuke."

It took Aguri a moment to process the rather confused expression present on his face before she began to panick. How in the world did she forget that she and Sasuke had never met before, and that she was definitely _not_ supposed to know his name. Not only that, she called his name without a suffix! Leave it to her to screw everything up in her very first meeting with a canon character.

Cheeks dusting a pale shade of pink she inadvertently began to babble as she attempted to explain herself.

"I'm sorry I forgot that we haven't been introduced and well I somehow just knew your name and Mama is really good friends with Mikoto-sama and I didn't mean to confuse you-"

Sasuke politely smiled as he cut her off and looked at her with his wide black eyes.

"It's okay, Mama told me to make friends anyway. It's nice to meet you."

She could tell that Sasuke still felt terribly awkward. Feeling slightly nervous, her eyes fell to the ground and she had no idea what she should do- She was terrible in social situations like this. It was something she still had a problem with, even until now. Her hand tightened herself into a fist as she attempted to bring herself to speak, but the words wouldn't form.

 _Calm down._

A hand came into view and she jumped a little, looking up in mild alarm as she saw Sasuke offering her an small smile. There was an air of uncertainty about him, but still the smile he gave her was kind at the very least.

"What's your name?" He asked, and Aguri took a deep breath and exhaled.

 _I'm scared._

She hesitantly gripped his outstretched hand and shook it, and even then her hand was still shaking. However, her mouth formed into a small yet determind line as she swallowed anxiously, replying as she did so.

"I'm Aguri."

 _I want some pineapple candy._

Somehow, eating sweets when she was nervous seemed to have become a habit, and a bad one at that. Without the no-good source of sugar, it was like she was incapable of doing anything on her own. In a way, she was like a drug abuser- she would enjoy the sweet and sour taste of being alone, but one day, everything would crash down on her.

Grey eyes anticipated Sasuke's reaction as they watched on, almost expecting the oncoming rejection.

However, the smile present on Sasuke's innocent features brightened as he gripped her own fingers assuringly, seemingly sensing her gnawing anxiety, as coal-black eyes met her own grey ones. He then began to tug at her hand as he gestured towards the playground nearby, where she could hear the distant laughter of children.

 _Great. More people._

Or at least, that was what she would have thought if she had not been surprised at his kind gesture.

"It's nice to meet you, Aguri! Let's go play at the swing!" Sasuke's invitation made her eyes widen, and as her throat instinctively tightened, she wordlessly jerked her head in reply.

As the young Uchiha led her away, the corners of her lips lifted, mimicking the almost unnoticeable tension that had been present till that moment, and amidst all the loneliness clouded in her eyes were a single trace of happiness.

This time, she would be brave.

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 _ **To be continued.**_

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 **A/N: Hey guys!**

 **I made this chapter more serious than I had intended, and I'm sorry about that.**

 **T** **hank you to all those who followed and favorited! It really means a lot!**

 **I've been having serious bouts of writer's block lately, so I was trying to fix it by starting a new story, or more specifically, a self-insert. I thought that it would make me more inspired to continue writing because I can relate to Aguri a lot. Also, I'm seriously terrible at writing. My writing style is extremely inconsistent, and makes me feel like shit. But still, thank you guys for giving this story a chance.**

 **Some of you may be wondering why this is under Hurt/Comfort/Angst, but there'll hints here and there later. I also may be shifting into first person after the first time skip planned (From a young child to going to the Academy). I'm not sure about it though.**

 **I'm really curious about how Aguri is so far. Am I taking her too far? Is she realistic?**

 **(Cookies to you if you read this sort of long author's note xD)**

 **Like alway, if you enjoyed this chapter, do leave a favorite, follow and review! Feedback is welcomed with open arms!**

 **-Cyan Rubies**


	3. Accidents

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

 **Welcome to the 3rd Chapter of Never Too Late.**

 **If you liked this, do remember to review, favorite and follow!**

 **Enjoy~**

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Aguri grumbled as she watched Sasuke poke at his vegetables, before proceeding to pick out the tomatoes and eating them. As her eyes narrowed into near slits, she stuffed a lettuce leaf into her mouth, her glance not leaving the black-haired boy in front of her once. If Sasuke, the poor target of her frustration, was creeped out by her insistent glaring, he did not show it. In fact, he seemed to very much be oblivious to it.

As someone who hated tomatoes and loved salad, she thoroughly disapproved of him not eating his salad.

Seriously, she hated tomatoes but she still ate them. What she couldn't comprehend was why most kids didn't like vegetables- even in her previous life, Aguri had loved vegetables as a child, of course, with the exception of tomatoes.

Those slimy, tasteless things were technically fruit, but the only thing Aguri liked about tomatoes were tomato ketchup. Were there even any tomato ketchup in the Naruto universe? She would have to find out, since it was the only thing she liked that was made from the fruit itself.

Blasted tomatoes.

She stuffed salad into her mouth with a vengeance as she shot a glance at Sasuke, silently screaming at him to stop eating the tomatoes and start eating his actual salad already, the pieces of fresh lettuce being chewed up crisply and a bit too rapidly.

Sure, the little Sasuke was a sweetheart, but damn, was he a picky eater! In the few times he came over for lunch and dinner, without fail, he would only pick out a quarter of the food he liked. He even rejected her offer of pineapple candy, even though those things were the best in the world. Why, he should be honored she offered him some in the first place! A bittersweet memory churned up from the back other mind unwittingly and she was reminded that she used to eat salad at the table this way, too... With her old family. A fond smile twisted onto the corners of her lips as she remembered how her family was strictly against any wastage of food, and how they often prodded her to finish all her food.

Well, she was doing the prodding now.

Watching as Sasuke picked up the rest of the tomatoes in his bowl and began to nibble on them, a look of contentment on his childish features, she sighed and reached out, poking him in his arm as she whispered determinedly, however, it may or may not have came out as a hiss.

"Could you finish your vegetables, Sasuke?"

Aguri's thumb twitched in her annoyance at the young boy as Sasuke pushed the bowl away from himself and began to sip on tea. Closing her eyes, she had to remind herself that firstly, Sasuke was still in the vegetable-hating phase, and even though she had never hated vegetables, she still ought to understand that he was young, and he had no proper idea what was 'balanced nutrition'. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled in a sigh as she thought of something, letting out a small murmur that she directed to the Uchiha.

"Sasuke, can I have the rest of your salad?"

Undoubtedly it was not proper for children of clans to share food so directly, but screw that. Her mind was screaming at the blatant sight of unfinished food. They were in the Fusako's house now, and she was more than entitled to finish off the food she helped prepare.

She inwardly snorted in amusement at the look of wonder that Sasuke sent her, and within moments, Sasuke's formerly half-full salad bowl was emptied.

Honestly, as a child, Sasuke was adorable. Picky, somewhat sheltered, but adorable, nonetheless. She still felt pricks of shame when she recalled their first meeting not too long ago- It took her a while to realise that no, the Naruto universe wasn't like her old home. Konoha was all about loyalty and trust between comrades- living in constant fear of betrayal would ultimately be her own undoing, because then, she would b e the one betraying her comrades by not trusting them.

Sasuke had been nothing but sincere whenever he interacted with her. She could see it in the brightness in his eyes, and she was glad to see that he was bright, and he was happy. For now, that is. That kind of innocence in Sasuke was something she didn't see in herself, which brought her to another pressing matter at hand.

How old was Sasuke when the Uchiha Massacre happened?

Aguri was apparently the same age as Sasuke. How long more would it be until Sasuke's innocence was ripped away from him?

With a sigh, she closed her eyes, and when she opened them, Sasuke was getting up from his chair and leaving.

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* * *

Damn.

Nothing could describe the envy she had when she witnessed Sasuke practicing jutsu at his compound. As she hid behind a pillar, watching him practice, she gave a nervous swallow.

Aguri was reminded of the fact that she had yet to try drawing out her chakra and using it. It was another few months before she would turn five, but watching Sasuke perfect the fire-ball jutsu and realising the fact that he was undoubtedly good at everything was extremely damaging to her pride as an adult.

Wait, she wasn't an adult now.

Her mother, Aoi, had gone off with Mikoto to sip tea, and Aguri gave a sigh. The only reason she had agreed to come was because Aoi had said that Sasuke would be there, but she did not mention that Sasuke would be training. The boy was still unaware of her being at the Uchiha compound, and Aguri did not wish to disturb him, not when he looked so focused.

The black-haired boy had grown on her greatly, despite their shaky first encounter(on her part). Aguri didn't know if she should be afraid of people entering her heart so easily. Her eyes watched as bright, blazing flames shot out from Sasuke's mouth- an impressive display, but undoubtedly not as good as Itachi Uchiha's.

In a wave of nostalgia, she briefly recalled that she had hated being disturbed when she was doing schoolwork back in her schooling days in her own universe, and resolved not to approach him unless he was done with his training. She briefly remembered the times where her old siblings were favored more than herself, and she could still taste the bitter taste in her mouth whenever it happened. Sometimes it didn't go away at all.

Her old mother had been a good one, but even she couldn't help but to pick favorites.

She respected Sasuke's training, for it was very much like her own. Both of them trained to get stronger, but in his case, it was to surpass a certain prodigy, and in her case, she just didn't want to see anyone die.

Funny, how she was talking like she still belonged there. Maybe it was her own brain, desperately trying to deny this reality, and maybe one part of her wished that she would wake up and find that this was just a dream. But denial wouldn't change the fact that she belonged here now, and there was possibly no way to return to her former universe.

She was Aguri from the Fusako clan now, and there was no way that 'Aguri Fusako' belonged to her own world. In this world, brutal killing was common, and children as young as the age of four were taught how to kill, how to injure, and how to maim, and most did not even have complete families. In her world, children the age of four would be playing and laughing with their families. In this world, the longest age you could expect to live to was thirty. In her world, most healthy people lived to long, ripe ages.

She had thought that she would make it home that day, but she didn't. She thought that she would have met someone who would be her destined other-half, and that she would have known what it felt like to fall in love. She thought that she would have seen herself turning twenty-one, and lived to become an old, wrinkled grandmother. But she never did. She died five years ago, at the age of twenty.

Aguri Fusako is an anomaly.

Ant not to mention, even if she did return, there was no way she would be able to return to her former identity. Her existence in that very world had literally died when she inadvertently stepped into the path of that moving car. If she returned, she would either be reborn as a helpless baby once more- or she would rise up from her grave and trigger the zombie apocalypse.

Heh.

However, there was something that bothered her. Her memories flashed across her head as vividly as a splash of paint over a blank canvas, however, there was nothing in that painting that spelled out the letters that revealed her former identity. A part of Aguri made her feel empty inside- she had left behind many things, and her old name was just the needle in the haystack.

The only name she had now was Aguri Fusako. Her old name, whatever it had been, had died along with her existence- ceasing to exist in her memories.

Possibly forever.

Maybe one day, she would forget who she used to be completely. She would be a ninja, have beliefs she never had, have thoughts that weren't fully hers. In a few years, would the sole trace of her former existence disappear? Would she die in a war, her throat slit, from a stranger who was forced to be a ninja? Would she be forgotten?

Would she be forced to live through another life again, if she died early in this life?

She gripped the hem of her skirt in an attempt to dry her hands which had become clammy from sweat, and turning around, she closed her eyes, willing herself to take a deep breath. Her hands fumbled in her pocket clumsily as she ripped open a wrapper and placed the pineapple-flavored sweet in her mouth.

Opening her eyes, she nearly choked as her hands clasped over her mouth, grey eyes widening outrageously.

Staring down at her was Itachi Uchiha.

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* * *

What happened next was a result of her own panic. Fumbling over her stuffy robes, she let out screech as she bolted away from the older Uchiha, simply because his sudden appearance freaked her out. She didn't do well with people, not even fictional characters sneaking up on her and standing behind her for who-knows-how-long.

Whatever happened to staying away from canon characters? Here she was getting cozy in the Uchiha household, and she could not believe that she had forgotten that this was _before_ Itachi murdered his clan, and therefore he was likely to be at the Uchiha's.

 _Stupid. Stupid, stupid!_

If she wasn't currently running away from Itachi Uchiha, she would have screeched, finished her stash of candy, and ripped out all of her ash-brown hair. (No, she was kidding. As much as she was freaking out, she liked her hair. A lot.)

Her abrupt escape from the scene must have been something Itachi did not expect, for the only thing following her as she ran was black eyes. It didn't remain that way for long, for she could make out light footsteps trailing after her, and she was suddenly grateful for the physical training she has been going through with.

Running to Sasuke was a big no-no, her presence right now was simply a distraction. Aguri disliked talking to strangers, so she stubbornly refused to stop running, because she was sure a conversation with Itachi Uchiha would be awkward and extremely uncomfortable, probably even worse so than her first encounter with Sasuke.

So running to get the help of Mikoto and her mother seemed to be the best option, and honestly, Aguri was lazy to think up a proper plan right now. She wasn't even five years old yet, for goodness sake, so why was Itachi so bent on chasing her? It just showed his over-protectiveness for Sasuke to an extent and inwardly Aguri groaned. By now, she had lost any sense of pride- she was twenty, and here she was running from what? A nine-year old?

She bit down on the pineapple candy still in her mouth to prevent it from moving around and possibly prevent herself from choking on it. She scoffed at the thought of dying from choking on candy.

 _Oh, here lies Aguri Fusako. She died the first time in a tragic accident, and you know what? She died the second time eating candy and running! How stupid is that?_

No shit Sherlock. However much she was bothered by the fact that she wasn't supposed to exist here, she would do her best to stay alive, because dying when you have another chance to live just sucked. Even if she didn't want to live, she would hang on.

Itachi was already catching up with inhuman speed, and Aguri groaned at the thought of possibly suffering the wrath of the Uchiha prodigy.

She felt him closing up on her, nearer, nearer- when all of a sudden, a warm feeling bubbled up within her stomach and spread to her arms and legs.

Aguri Fusako, a tiny and chubby five year old, was now accelerating a lot in speed. And for some unknown reason, there seemed to be sparks, literal ones that shot up from the floor where her feet had come into contact with, and as she burst into the room where her mother, Aoi, and Mikoto Uchiha sat sipping tea, the fact that she had not been caught by Itachi had just sunk in, and she took a moment to process that.

The other two woman present in the room sent her a confused look as they took in her sudden dishevelled appearance. Her ash-brown hair, once tied up neatly was now loose and several loose strands hung in her face. Her kimono was crumpled and there was a rosy sheen to her cheeks.

And yeah, she was all sweaty from the sprinting, which was just plain disgusting. She frowned at what seemed to be tiny sparks that danced over the top of her palm, a bright electric blue in color.

Her eyes widened in awe, and she extended her fingers, watching the tiny sparks jump around on her long fingers, so unlike the ones she had in her old life. She remembered clearly the pain of learning the piano in her former life with short fingers, but very soon, her fingers had turned flexible and nimble from constant practice.

Oh, how she longed to play. How she missed music in general, and how she missed the sound of loud rock screaming from her headphones.

She closed her fingers slowly, aware of the stares of those present- especially those of her mother.

The sparks danced over her skin for a while, before being absorbed into her skin, leaving a warm, pleasant, yet foreign feeling.

Was this... chakra?

.

Itachi Uchiha stood behind her, having caught up a while ago, but not quite close enough to catch the eccentric girl. He towered over her, watching as sparks danced over the girl's fingers, before he could detect the whiff of something burning.

He wondered when she would finally notice the smoke curling off the bottom of her feet, and hoped that she wouldn't burn the floor too badly.

.

* * *

 **To be continued.**

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Here's the next update! Thanks to all who are supporting this story right now :)**

 **Just to make things clear, Itachi was going easy on her until she began to (accidentally) use chakra to run faster. I will not have anyone saying about how she's a Mary-sue because of the way she outran Itachi or the way she discovered her chakra, or any superficial reasons like that. However, feedback is very much welcomed.**

 **Do review, favorite and follow if you liked this chapter :D**

 **Until next time,**

 **Cyan Rubies**


	4. Sparks Fly

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto... but Aguri is mine, I tell you xD**

 **Welcome to the 4th chapter of Never Too Late. If you enjoyed do review, favourite or follow, it will be much appreciated!**

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 **.**

 **Chapter 4**

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* * *

Needless to say, Aguri never wants to return to the Uchiha Compound ever again. Not even if she gets to see Sasuke, damn it.

(The tiny hole in the wooden floor seemed to taunt her, practically screaming 'You did this!')

Somehow, the feeling that the kid gave her was that he knew she was there all along, and he knew she was watching him, and he knew Itachi had been standing behind her in a blatantly-not-creepy way. Sasuke either just continued training because he liked the attention, or the young Uchiha enjoyed her misery that came in the form of social interaction.

(Wow, even young Sasuke had sadistic tendencies. How comforting to know that her only friend would turn into a power-hungry maniac in the future.)

She had taken quite a fright when Itachi sneaked up on her. Maybe it was her own fault for being so unaware of her surroundings, but it was probably the older Uchiha's fault for always managing to walk without making a single sound.

Another thing she would like to add, was the fact that the relationship between Sasuke and herself had been more... awkward recently. 'Awkward' was the perfect word to describe everything regarding herself, and whether or not it was worrying, Aguri would not have gave a damn, normally.

But this was Sasuke. Sasuke had gave her a new chance at friendship, and he had accepted her request to be friends, even though it was obvious that she was... not normal.

Aguri had enough of not caring whether her friendships fell apart in the gutter, her fault or not. It was exactly what had caused so many broken friendships that was torn at the edges, never quite severed but never able to return to its original, pristine state.

It was friendships like that which would never last. A general feeling of being uncomfortable with herself and people hearing her speak, people judging every word that she spoke, people creating their own first impressions of her. Most of those people were never accurate- people were shallow, and they always looked at either the desirable traits of yours or focused on the worst.. Most people would think she was pleasant- at first glance, and that was what had drew them in.

However, the string tied to their ankle would keep tugging, and eventually each and every one of them would find themselves stuck outside the walls that was unwittingly put up, and the scariest thing about it, was that the string would either proceed to stop there- or begin to tug upwards, in a feeble attempt to let them in.

Most didn't. Most did not want to see the truth.

In most cases, the string was cut away by the people who remained as acquaintances- they knew each other, but there was no real connection.

In some, the string stopped tugging outside the walls. In these cases, most weren't there to know her- they were there to dig out all her deepest secrets, and sell them out to the world. Even those with sincere intentions, she never did have the courage to approach them, to let them in.

After all, she had good reason to call herself a coward.

More times than not, the string snapped from tension, and it made her even more afraid.

Aguri still remembered the girl with hair the sketchy shade of coal smiling as she got ready for school, but progressively, she never saw that girl again. What she saw next was a girl drowning in the expectations of society, sinking deeper and deeper. Sooner or later she would have died, killed herself from the oppressive weight of... what, exactly? That was something she didn't know the answer to, but this was what she would say.

" _Everything."_

In her place was a monster- hated, narrow-eyed, and always so easy to hurt with the right weapons. Trapped within the walls of its own tower. It was only a matter of time before a hero was sent to annihilate each and every single trace of its existence. The hero would return to boast about their victory, with the monster's head as a gruesome trophy. A spoil-of-war. It was the proof that the walls of its towers weren't guarded enough, the proof that the only good that came off of it's existence was to allow the heroes to prove a point, to glorify themselves. Because what the heroes did always _had_ to be the right thing.

In fairytales, Aguri never did really like the heroes. The stories were always told from a biased point of view. Would there really have been a happy ending if the story had been told from the point of view from the monster?

Maybe it was good that she had been run over by that car.

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* * *

The... incident that happened over at the Uchiha's wasn't so bad, at second thought.

(Mikoto mentioned that the hole in the floor was fine, and that it could be easily covered up. It did, however, make the her feelings of guilt feel worse- it made her feel she was getting away without doing anything to solve the problem)

On the upside, she had realised that she had been subconsciously drawing on chakra when she needed it. Her chakra was comparable to shadows- normally, she wouldn't have noticed it, but now that she felt its ever-growing presence, it came to her as this foreign and alienated feeling at the back of her mind that was now impossible to dismiss.

Having chakra was a strange feeling. In this world, chakra was a part of everything. It was in the air she breathed, it was in the trees that grew, and it was within her. It was an astounding revelation, and the feeling of what felt like liquid warmth pounding through her body was something she was definitely unused to.

In stark contrast, her own world was one completely devoid of chakra. Where she had come from, the air was full of pollution from exhaust and toxins while the soil that was the ground was sure to be poisoned in one way or another. Life itself continued, poisoned, painful, but yet always continuing.

It made sense. People clung to life out of instinct, just as chakra clung to everything in this world.

Aguri had certainly not known what having chakra felt like until the incident with Itachi. She should have been made aware of it the moment she had slipped through the gaps of reality and was plunged into the world of ninjas. It seemed to be a disgrace to call this world the 'Naruto universe' when she now saw anyone as characters, but _people_. Living, breathing, people who had somehow climbed from the root of Kishimoto's ideas and was now reality.

It was intriguing, and Aguri wanted a proper explanation for what was happening. Why was she here? One person who didn't belong here could disrupt many occurrences, many future events, just as how the tiniest stone could cause tidal waves. Just like how a single action could change everything- the Butterfly Effect. It was proven possible that where a hurricane travels and it's speed could be drastically altered by something as small as the beating of a butterfly's wings. Likewise, Aguri remembered a scenario that had been cast to the back of her mind.

When a butterfly first crawls out of its pupa, it is unable to fly. It's wings are small, crumpled, and overly-delicate, and for a period of time, it cannot move as it waits for its wings to dry,and it must remain hidden from sight as it hangs from its pupa, delicate and vulnerable.

But what if the butterfly is unable to hang onto the pupa? It would fall to the ground, far, far below, and would be trampled by a passing human. It happened in merely a split second, but a new life had been lost, as quickly as it had been born.

What happens if a starving bird happens to come across the butterfly? It would consume the perished butterfly, and it would be saved from the claws of starvation, before flying away to who-knows-where.

But what happened was that that very bird carried with it a new strain of virus, an unknown and possibly lethal strain of the bird flu. The disease spreads, and soon, majority of the human race finds themselves stricken with the disease. Half of the infected die, and the other half are spreading the disease themselves. Chaos will break out, and humans will be the cause of the apocalypse as much as the virus was.

And the cause of everything? A single butterfly fresh out of its pupa, who fell onto the forest floor.

All it took was a moment of weakness to screw up the entire world.

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* * *

 _Darn it!_

She was an adult, for goodness sake! She should be working her ass off right now, or getting her degree, or getting a paycheck from her part-time job that she had gotten in a measly attempt to earn money. She should be at home, feeding her cat, or cleaning up the old house for her mother.

But no, here she was hanging upside down from a tree branch, all giggly and watching blue sparks dance over her long fingers.

Aguri had went to the park in an attempt to train but it had regrettably turned into a _'mess with your chakra!'_ session. Aguri had expected her attention span to decrease greatly and she acknowledged the fact that she was just a kid in this universe now, but this level of attention was ridiculous, even for a five-year old.

Whatever happened to her former resistance to her childish instincts? Holy shit, she really was turning into a kid.

Her bottom lip pushed out in a thoughtful pout as her ill-disguised annoyance at herself showed through, and as if in retaliation the sparks (or chakra, whatever) on her hands became more brighter.

 _Shame on you, Aguri._

 _Shame. On. You._

Being a child was hard, in more ways than one.

The instincts of her body wouldn't allow her to focus on a set goal, even though she already had what she wanted to accomplish in this training session broken up into her head in what should have been manageable bite-sized pieces. She had came here with determination, but that had been quickly replaced with boredom. She looked at her fingertips with slight distaste towards the small spurts of electricity.

The Fusako Clan specialised in earth-affinity ninjutsu. Her mother, originally from the Miyusawa clan, was a kunoichi whose clan specialised in techniques which incorparated different uses of lightning-based chakra. Small 'tricks' that weren't really techniques but were like life hacks included using the wavelengths from small electric currents to stimulate different parts of the body and to sense in a way similar to echolocation. Other techniques included using lightning bolts to attack and to paralyze opponents. Aguri had inherited the latter, obviously. It wasn't a bloodline limit, but more of a specialty, but whether she actually had a bloodline limit, she had absolutely no idea at all.

Lightning chakra suited her, in a sense. She was unpredictable, but only to an extent. Being physically five-years old and having a mind that lived through at least 25 years didn't bode well for her. Things she did that made sense to her weren't exactly things that a child did on a daily basis. She wasn't a prodigy, but by all means, she wasn't normal.

The difference between her physical and mental age made her consistently inconsistent in her actions, and the only things that kept her grounded were the little things she had carried over into this life with her mind- procrastination, anti-social behaviour and the inability to communicate with a stranger honestly without being scared.

(Heh, there was also the habit of eating candy, but could it be considered her fault? Pineapple-flavoured sweets were awesome, and she had been amazed that they existed in this universe at all.)

Aguri sighed softly as she hung downwards on the tree branch, her ash-brown hair loose and hanging below her. She might just look like a monster from the horror movies she used to love so much. In regret, she briefly thought of all the horror movies she had yet to watch, and all the horror games she had yet to play. Damn, she always wanted to save up to buy games- Amnesia and Silent Hill, maybe. She had always wanted to try out those RPG horror games like Misao and Ib, but she wouldn't be able to do all that, now.

(She also wouldn't be able to check up on updates with her favorite band, or talk to her mother, or finish learning anime openings on the piano. So many things she had put off, taking it for granted that she was going to _'do it later'_ , but she never did, and she never will.)

Going back to the situation at hand, why on earth was she hanging upside down, from a tree no less? Well, it was comfortable, but Aguri ever liked heights back in her day and she wouldn't see why she would like high places now. On the other hand, she had no idea how she got herself on a tree, dangling at least ten metres down, and by all means, she had no idea how to get back down.

Was she a freaking cat or something? How did she get up here?!

(But by all means, bless those adorable furballs)

Maybe Aguri should be panicking right now. But she didn't, trees in the ninja world could hold the weight of full-grown adult ninjas jumping over tree branches, and she would laugh if the branch gave out on her right now. If the branch gave out now, she would wake up at six everyday, just to train somewhere where she would not get distracted.

.

 _SNAP_

.

 _The hell? Is this the world's way of telling her she's fat?_

As Aguri went down, she lamented her loss of sleep. Then she remembered the fact that she was ten metres in the air, and might just get a concussion. Or maybe she would... die

 _Shit, I'm not going to die again!_

Falling from a tree was just as bad a cause of death as choking on candy while running. It was ridiculous, was she a magnet for trouble or something? Had all her efforts to be brushed aside and ignored like a normal person gone to waste?

As she plummeted, time seemed to slow in her eyes as she instinctively opened her mouth to scream, them she closed it because she didn't fancy the idea of biting her tongue. Instead, her arms shot out at intervals, grabbing at tree branches in a miserable attempt to stop her fall. It helped, but it hardly helped a to decrease the speed she was falling.

About three metres from the ground, she somehow latched into a branch and breathed heavily, her arms shaking as they grabbed onto the branch for dear life.

 _I'm saved!_

Aguri nearly cried in her brief moment of joy, when branch, small and miserable, promptly gave a snap.

 _Shit, it's official. This world hates me._

Three metres wasn't that bad a drop, but it was going to hurt.

Aguri squeezed her eyes as the wind whistled sharply at her ears, mentally bracing herself for the impact. At least she won't die a ridiculous death now. Aguri had always been able to save herself from getting injured out of narrow situations, and she just hoped that the luck she had from her previous life had carried over to this life, because seriously, she had some serious bad luck today.

She wondered if she had done something terrible in her past life, and she was probably now paying back. This would all just be a case of karma biting her in the ass. But then, she remembered that she would probably not be reincarnated as a human if she had done something _that_ bad.

Aguri waited for the pain to come.

But instead, her arms hit something warm and relatively soft, and there was a sound like air being punched out of a pillow.

There were a few groans, and she experimentally opened an eye, and jumped when she realised that she was extremely close to someone she didn't know at all, and probably just knocked the life out of him.

In her own panic, sparks accidentally flew out from her fingertips on accident and unfortunately gave the stranger a small zap, and the stranger let out another groan in pain.

"...the heck? You fall from heaven or something?"

The stranger groaned (though it sounded like a grumble) as he straightened up slowly as he pulled himself up from the ground and she heard the vertabrae of his neck giving a small crack as he winced, the kind of crack you heard when you weren't warmed up properly.

Her breathing increased frantically as she watched him, wide-eyed as he sort-of straightened up slightly, only to fall back into a slouch before he leaned against the bark of the tree. Swallowing, her throat felt dry.

Hidden by the shadows of the tree, she couldn't quite make out the person's features but she knew one thing- she might have just seriously hurt somebody. Getting fallen on hurt. A lot.

She briefly tried to recall the first-aid courses she remembered taking a long time ago, she had to make sure he was conscious, alive, and not that injured. But he was evident _not_ unconscious, and he didn't really seem to be hurt, but his safety came first. There was a lot of things that could not be seen with the naked eye, he might have internal bleeding, or broken bones, or maybe something like a cut or a bruise.

Though, an injury was an injury.

Normally, she hated talking to strangers, but this was an exception. She was responsible for falling on this dude and possibly hurting him, and she wasn't going to chicken out now.

"H-hey, are you feeling okay? I'll take you to the hospital if you're hurt."

Because regretfully, she couldn't remember the first aid course, and she was acting on intuition alone.

She had fallen onto the area between his chest-stomach area, and he wouldn't have been able to sit up if she had broken his ribs. Either he was extremely good at hiding pain, or he just didn't feel it yet.

"...No, it's fine. It doesn't hurt all that much, it was just-" His voice was somewhat soft and sounded somewhat like a drawl as he paused for a moment to find an appropriate word.

"-unexpected."

As he continued, Aguri exhaled in a sigh, as she swallowed, continuing to speak. One does not simply get away from squashing strangers, and she owes him an apology.

"I'm really sorry about, you know, falling on you, it was an accident. And also, for um, accidentally zapping you with chakra and all that."

She looked at the figure, unwittingly observing him. She could feel that he was doing the same- this guy was similar to her, in a way.

He was several centimeters taller than her, and likewise, he had black hair and dark eyes, which were fairly common in Konoha. He could have been from a dozen clans or none at all- dark eyes and dark hair were common features, and she herself had such 'common features'. Somehow, her intuition was telling her that this was someone she should know, and she didn't understand why.

At least, not yet.

"It's fine."

There was silence for a while after that.

Eyes darting around, Aguri unconsciously wiped her hand on her skirt as she stuck it out, speaking as she did so, her eyes fixing on the boy's own features.

"...I hope we can be friends!"

The _'please don't kill me'_ undertone definitely didn't go unnoticed.

As she began to be able to see small parts of the boy's face better thanks to the sunlight that was filtering through the leaves. The lighting was better now, and Aguri could make out his facial features better. Somehow, he did look familiar, but Aguri had yet to place her thoughts on where she saw him before.

Deep inside her, her mind was nagging at her.

 _The hell? Did I see this guy in Konoha somewhere, or is he a canon character?_

Having two sets of memories were extremely confusing, especially memories from two completely different universes. The people were completely different, and so were the politics and the laws of the two universes. Her ability to remember things would improve when she got older, but there was only so much she could do when she was a five-year old with no attention span.

The boy's eyes shifted towards her extended hand almost appraisingly. Noting the slight raise of his eyebrows, she thought that maybe she had done something not normal again, because somehow, a surprised look didn't suit the boy's expression. After a moment of silence, he half-extended his own as he shook her hand.

"As I said before, it's fine."

The way he spoke sounded almost like he was trying to conserve energy- no, that wasn't right, it's more like he was...

 ** _Lazy._**

The revelation struck her like... someone falling out of the sky and hitting her in her face.

Her eyes scanned again over his more notable features, but this time each of them clicked in her mind like how it took for an outbreak of fire in your house to remember where you had kept your valuables.

Narrow brown eyes, a light complexion, and black hair tied up in a high ponytail, making his hair look spiky at the edges. He donned a grey shirt with what appeared to be a yellow and red symbol, however she recognised that symbol right away. The most important factor was the look of laziness and slight irritation that was present on his face- he had not yet turned into a lazy and unmotivated ninja, but he was sure well on the way.

 _I should have known._

Aguri's eyes widened, and inwardly her mind scolded her for not being observant and noticing it earlier.

Offering the boy a small (and resigned) smile, she spoke softly, and her voice would have sounded normal if it was not for her inner sigh.

"I'm Fusako Aguri. You are...?"

She already knew the answer, but asking him was a formality.

The boy straightened up, but his posture still resembling that of a slouch as he responded.

"Nara Shikamaru."

.

 _Universe, are you even serious right now?_

Aguri half-imagined some random (and shitty) godly entity out there right now, snickering at the amount of drama she was creating. It was like she was in a soap drama, and every single little thing that she did led from one thing to another.

Because damn, she just fell on and pretty much zapped the future genius from the Nara Clan (Assuming he wasn't already one!) with electric chakra.

And now, she was going to pull a shitty joke about sparks flying between herself and Nara Shikamaru (literal ones, at that) just so she could feel better about how much trouble she was creating already.

.

* * *

 **To be continued.**

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 **A/N: Hey guys!**

 **Woah, I have never wrote 4000 words in a sitting before. It's tiny but it feels amazing xD**

 **Firstly, I would like to apologise for the angsty first parts of this chapter, and how it seems to contradict with Aguri's cheery and joking character... it's going to be explained in later chapters, possibly a long time later, but it will be explained :) In the meantime, fire away with your theories and future predictions xD**

 **(C'mon, I know there's a lot of brilliant minds out there!)**

 **In the meantime, special thanks to:**

 _ **.**_

 _ **Guest**_

 _ **DarkDust27**_

 _ **xenocanaan**_

 ** _Guardian of Heaven_ and**

 _ **CalicoKitty402**_

 _ **.**_

 **for leaving a review! *sends love and cookies***

 **.**

 **See you next time!**

 **-Cyan Rubies**


	5. Awkwardness

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but Aguri is my baby xD**

 **Welcome to the 5th chapter of Never Too Late!**

 **Feel free to fire away below.**

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 **Chapter 5**

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In the awkward silence that reigned between the both of them, Aguri tentatively stepped forward, her footsteps soft and light as she plopped down on the grass patch beside where the Nara was currently lying down against the base of the tree. She wondered if she should tend to the slight scratches on his arms, but she doubted that Shikamaru would appreciate her causing more trouble for him.

On second thought, she decided to continue her training. The fall had broken her out of her previous lazy and unfocused stupor and in a way, it had helped her a lot. Falling down a tree somehow made her mind alert and ready for some chakra control training. Sitting herself cross-legged on the grass, several meters away, she took a deep breath slowly while she still felt restless, she felt more... calm.

Being calm was something that she had not experienced in a long time. In her younger years in this life, she had spent most of her days worrying, thinking about the future everyday, and suffering under the stress of retaining her adult mind in an infant body. To be thinking so much when her brain was pretty much underdeveloped, she had unwittingly been putting her physical body and her spiritual energy under pressure.

To be forced into a new world, to be forced into new practices, to be forced into a new life completely... it was terrifying.

But meditating- it helped. It reminded her of the times in her olden days where she would simply sit down with her mother and think, and laugh, and smile. It reminded her of the times her mother would play soothing music just to help her with her nerves, and she remembered her mother teaching her how to meditate, how to breath, and how to think with a clear mind.

Most of the time, she thought of a water droplet falling into a still, crystal clear lake. With a soft dripping sound, the small water droplet made contact with the surface of the lake, and the ripples spread from where the water had fell, and continued to the lake edge, and the lake would be completely still once more.

It was when she was at peace did she really feel the sensation of what this world called _chakra_.

She had seen its effects, she had felt it - but she had never been more aware of that new presence in her mind, one that was completely devoid from her former world. Chakra- she felt it tingle at the very tips of her fingertip, all the way to the bottom of the soles of her feet. It flowed through her fluidly, and manipulating chakra was... strange. The additional function that her body could do- manipulate chakra, felt like strange, yet familiar, as if her physical body was welcoming the warmth that came from the chakra, and her mind was finding it foreign yet fascinating enough to hold on.

The real question was: How could she manipulate chakra?

Physical energy. Spiritual energy. To manipulate chakra, she had to mix both at the area her stomach was at. It wasn't just a whole chunk of energy, fused together. There were different components to it, and as for why the stomach area in particular, Aguri was sure that there was a reason why the visible seal mark on Naruto was on his stomach in particular.

She imagined the energy that seemed to be in her body all up to her fingertips, and then thought of the energy that seemed to be originating from her mind. Aguri directed both the energies to travel towards her stomach, and imagined them swirling equally with each other, Her stomach felt warm as she then imagined the energy travelling up her arm and back to her fingertips.

Opening her eyes, she held the tips of both her fingers together as she watched the chakra spark between them, glowing a faint cobalt. After a moment of contemplation, she plucked out a handful of grass remorselessly and shook off the clumps of dirt, holding a blade of grass to her forehead as she shut her eyes once more, repeating the slow and tedious process of mixing and balancing her 'physical' and 'spiritual' chakra out.

After a long period of trial and error, she eventually decided to follow her gut instinct as to the amount of chakra she should send to the area the leaf was currently in contact with the top of her eyebrow. Only a precise amount would allow it to stick, and a great amount of care was needed to ensure that it stayed.

(Sure, the slow process ground on her nerves greatly, but feeling the blades of grass managing to stick to her forehead was so satisfying. It was even worth making herself look like she had multiple green monobrows, right at the spot below her forehead.)

Feeling a grin creep up her face, Aguri looked around, secretly hoping that no one would see her strange antics, when she realized that Shikamaru had been behind her all that time, and undoubtedly watching her. Shit.

Maybe he was sleeping, which would explain how eerily silent it was. Crossing her middle finger over her index finger, she let the blades of grass flutter from their comfy place on her forehead as she glanced behind.

Shikamaru was very much awake and looking at her, and his expression told her that he found her methods of training very strange, and he had probably seen her with the monobrows made from grass. Not a very good second-impression.

 _Well, crap._

She shut her eyes tightly as her hand dug around in her pocket for her trusty pineapple-flavored candy, and she ripped open the wrapper as she let it fall into her mouth, welcoming the comforting sweet-sour taste. Maybe it would distract her from her utter humiliation. Maybe it would make her feel worse.

Heh.

.

* * *

Aguri glanced around, apprehensive as she panicked slightly at the disappearance of her mother and the disappearance of Mikoto.

After escaping from the scene back then with Shikamaru, she was glad that the Nara did not question her avoiding of him. But Aguri had to admit that she had been somewhat annoyed when her mother announced that they were going back to the park, and going to meet with the Uchiha's again.

(Thankfully, Shikamaru seemed to have left. He probably didn't want anyone else falling on him or shocking him, and of course she meant that literally.)

Giving a sigh, she fell back to the grass beneath her glumly, before inclining her head sideways and catching sight of the Uchiha siblings.

Somehow, her mother had left her to have play time with the Uchiha's, an honestly, she should have expected it. There wasn't a lot of things that could be in her control when she was barely 5 years old in this strange world.

She scowled, and blew at the strand of hair that hung in front of her face. There was a sound of a few crunching dry twigs as Sasuke walked up to her, and prodded lightly at her elbow.

"Hey, do you want to play tag, Aguri-chan?"

"There's only 3 people." She commented.

Aguri furrowed up her eyebrows as she waited for his reaction, still refusing to look at the older Uchiha present, still feeling embarrassed from their last encounter. Itachi had probably thought she was one of Sasuke's fangirls. Wait, Sasuke didn't have a fanclub yet, so he might have thought she was a stalker...

Going back on topic, sure, tag sounded fun, but there were 3 people present, and Itachi had already graduated from the academy and would probably catch her and Sasuke within moments, even if he tried to tone down to play with them, and it wouldn't be entertaining with so little people. Tag was fun when you could keep running and tagging different people, and it wouldn't be fun if there were too little people to tag.

"Can we go to the playground, then?"

Sasuke appeared suddenly in her field of vision, his eyes wide and pleading. Aguri squirmed at the slight invasion of her personal space and turned her head away, shutting her eyes as she exhaled.

Holy shit, the little Uchiha was good at this 'acting-innocent-and-cute-game'.

"Anything sounds fine. It's better than doing nothing, anyway."

Sasuke ran over to Itachi in apparent glee as he began to run over to the playground located in the park. Aguri gave a slight grumble at how Sasuke managed to tug at her heartstrings so effortlessly- It seems that the little shit has discovered her soft spot for cute things. Not to mention, the park was always crowded with other little shi- um, or rather, other children, so there was no doubt that the playground would be extremely crowded as well.

Great, more people. More noisy kids running around and playing ninja. Sasuke was a manipulative kid but at least he was amiable and somewhat tame.

Reluctantly, Aguri dragged herself to her feet as she began to shuffle to the playground. However, something seemed... different. And needless to say, this development was unexpected.

The kids that had come to play in the playground were slowly led away from the playground, and whispers permeated through the air. Most of the time, Aguri didn't think that she would be able to hear anything- but surprisingly, the whispers were as clear as day to her as she somehow managed to tune in to what the parents were saying to their children. In her former life, she had plain terrible sight and hearing as a teenager, but maybe the ears and senses of a child were more sensitive.

However, the smile at the thought was wiped off her face as she noticed that Sasuke and Itachi had ceased walking, and it was then did she register the shared and common implications between all the whispers she had heard just now.

.

 _"It's him."_

 _"Stay away from that boy."_

 _"You shouldn't ever talk to him. He's just bad luck."_

 _"Look..."_

 _"It's the **monster**."_

 _._

Slowly, the crowd dissipated so fast that Aguri might just have considered it a miracle that the park should be so empty at this time for the day, if not for the lone yellow-haired boy, sitting at the swing.

A moment ago, the park had been bustling with activity. A moment later, it was quiet. Eerily so.

Aguri found herself walking into the playground, aware that she was currently under the scrutiny of the lingering adults and children. Whatever happened to her plan? Whatever happened to avoiding everyone who was important?

Well, that plan had been screwed over about three times already, so it obviously wasn't going to work anymore. This world hates her, anyway.

But still... something drew her to the lone boy, all by himself. Normally, she hated talking, despised interacting and meeting new people... but the look in the boy's eyes was heart-wrenching.

It was the kind of look in her eyes that she saw when she looked into a mirror so long ago. The resemblances were scary, and Aguri wondered why she had never realized it back when she was alive in her old universe. Maybe it was because the present Naruto in the anime had always been portrayed as strong, goofy, and mischievous. So much so that it was easy that he had suffered the pain of being isolated.

The circumstances of their similarities may not apply now, when she was now Aguri Fusako, but seeing the boy made something within her stir. The old aches of being alone, of having only a few people you could open up to... Naruto may not have felt the pain of being backstabbed just yet, but it was something she didn't want happening to him.

She noted Sasuke a few metres away, undoubtedly curious, or wary.

Maybe both.

Naruto has gone through so much already. In another time, Aguri was a happy five-year-old, who was only exposed to the cruelty of society as she grew up. However, this boy was her age- and already, he was the object of hatred, and everything is taking place right before her eyes.

They may be similar, but the difference between their circumstances were vast. There was no way she could think to compare herself to him now.

It was what propelled her to approach him, though. She could, no, she _would_ push away her anxiety, because there was no way she was leaving this boy alone. Meeting him had changed _everything_.

Aguri swallowed, and tightened her left fist, shifting around as she breathed. After some deliberation, she slid into the seat on the swing next to him silently, and almost immediately, she could sense his gaze, apprehensively watching her, as if he was afraid that she would begin to bully him.

 _He's watching my expression_ , she realized.

Naruto was cautious, scared and alone. He is hated for what is inside of him, and the villagers refuse to see who he really is. No one can blame him for being scared or wary.

Luckily, her expression was always almost neutral, and more on the serious side, as usual. An adult might have found her strange, but she had no reason to feel inclined to smile when a bunch of brats literally just shunted away an innocent boy and spread their venomous gossip right in front of him, like he wasn't there.

Like he wasn't a human being, with a heart and with emotions.

There was a quote that she remembered quite clearly, from her literature exam in high school. A quote from Shylock, from the Merchant of Venice, a play written by Shakespeare who-knows-how-long-ago.

Shylock was a Jew, facing discrimination in the form of supremacy of other religions against him. In a fit of anger and unjust, he spoke of how they all shared a common humanity, and questioned why everyone else was treating him like he was not a human as well.

 _"If you prick us, do we not bleed?"_

It applied so well to this situation, that Aguri nearly blanched at the irony of it all. Why were adults, who should know better, spreading rumors about something they clearly didn't understand? Why were they isolating a boy who had literally saved the village by being the host of the Nine Tails?

After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, Aguri looked up and caught sight of Sasuke, hiding behind Itachi, who looked conflicted. He had obviously witnessed everyone else avoiding the boy who sat next to her, but he was unsure of whether or not to join her. Unlike the other children, he had not believed the rumors- he was wary, to an extent, but who could blame him? When she was a child, her mindset practically was 'Whatever the adults say, they are right!"

But Sasuke was intelligent, and perceptive enough to question what he didn't understand.

And now, undoubtedly, he was watching her to gauge if he should approach the boy as well.

Aguri breathed in heavily. It was now or never- she was beginning to chicken out.

Turning to face the boy sitting next to her, she met his stare and marveled at the deep blue color. The loneliness was overwhelming in his eyes, but... they didn't say that eyes are a reflection of your soul for no reason. The young boy's eyes were the most beautiful blue, like the sky... and there wasn't one shred of hate in it.

Damn it, why did no one see the truth? Are the adults too blinded by hate and pain?

Are they just looking for someone to vent on? The trepidation they suffered during the Juubi's attack, were they venting on Naruto because he's the Jinchuuriki?

Aguri smiled, a sad one at that. Could a smile be considered a smile, if it was sad? She had no idea, but there was one thing she was quite sure of: The truth was a sad reality, and it was painful. Her anxiety began to feel numb to her, and she got up and was about to stick her hand out, when she noticed that Naruto flinched at the slight action. She immediately retracted her arm, grey eyes widening as the revelation sunk in.

 _Holy shit._

Did he think that... she was going to hit him?

Did he really believe that he was a monster? Did he think everyone hated him?

Aguri would have had been at the loss of words as she cursed inwardly. The damage done to this boy was definitely greater than what she had expected. And if what happened in canon really happened here, then the boy has no clue on why he is being shunned.

No one deserved this kind of treatment. She took a deep breath to steady herself, but she was distraught at her rush of emotions. She can't even comprehend if she's angry, sad, or confused.

A few footsteps behind her made her turn around, and she couldn't have been more grateful to see Sasuke standing there, with Itachi behind him.

Sasuke stepped forward, a hand placed on her shoulder. Normally, she didn't like anyone touching her, but coming from Sasuke, it calmed her down. It seemed that he had come to the same revelation as she did while watching them.

The younger Uchiha took a step forward as he smiled, looking at the Jinchuriki as he began to speak.

"Hey, do you want to play tag with us?"

Aguri couldn't help but smile weakly at the astonished reaction that Sasuke received. A few minutes passed in silence as the boy's eyes darted around, watching them, his blue eyes widening considerably. After a while, he nodded slowly, and Sasuke gave him a surprisingly gentle tug to his feet as he led the boy towards Itachi, and gestured for her to follow.

"What's your name, by the way?" Sasuke asked Naruto as he glanced at the boy, who still seemed surprised. Aguri's heart tightened instinctively at the way the yellow-haired boy reacted.

Naruto was quiet for a short while, before he responded, looking up at the Uchiha.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

Sasuke beamed at him, and proceeded to abruptly pull Aguri towards them. She made a noise, protesting at the sudden violent action as she was pulled to in front of the Jinchuriki, and began to swallow nervously, shifting around her feet unwittingly.

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha! This is my nii-san, Itachi, and that's Aguri-chan!"

Aguri looked up and smiled at Naruto, feeling somewhat sheepish about her awkward attempt to make friends with him. Naruto seemed to realise that she had been trying to offer him a handshake. Both reddened considerably at the uncomfortable awkwardness. But since the misunderstanding had been cleared already...

She definitely had not expected Sasuke to go out of his way to help her out from the awkward situation...

Maybe he was a sweetheart, after all.

A sudden slap on her back made her jolt, and Aguri whirled around to spot distinctive black eyes just gleaming with mirth. Sasuke suddenly disappeared from her sight, and began to run away as he then shouted innocently.

(It sounded like a taunt, to her.)

"Tag! You're it, Aguri-chan! Catch me if you can!"

As if on cue, Naruto, and Itachi seemed to disappear as they respectively began to bolt away from her. Aguri's thumb twitched, as she let out a sigh in exasperation, as she began to chase after them like a pissed-off cheetah, letting out a snarl as she targeted the short one with messy black hair in particular. Her mood was lifted slightly, as she heard Naruto's laugh- it wasn't rambunctious, rather quite small and shy-sounding, but at the very least he was having fun.

That's a good sign.

From far away, she caught wind of the younger Uchiha snickering, and immediately put on a burst of speed, sparks seeming to trail out from behind her as she ran, determined to catch him.

Heh.

Sasuke was a sweetheart, but he's still a little shit.

.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **How did you find the mental image with Aguri with monobrows?** **A moment of silence for all the awkward shit caused by Aguri this chapter.**

 **And Naruto is here! How will things turn out next?**

 **So I'm not sure how young Sasuke was, only that he was happy and kind. I made him sort of mischievous and manipulative (as much as a five-year-old can get) because hey, he's smart, and he knows he is adorable!**

 **I apologise that this update took a longer time! My exams ended literally yesterday, haha.**

 **Thank you to...**

 _SupremeGeneralJoker_

 _Realworld no Shinobi_

 _Guardian of Heaven_

 _Guest_

 _xenocanaan_

 ** _for reviewing! Have a goodie bag! :D_**

 ** _(And cookies. Lots of cookies.)_**

 **Lastly, I'm gonna start this question thing, where I'm gonna ask you guys a lot of random stuff. Sometimes it will be about Aguri, other times it's just random stuff xD**

 _Question:_

 _What weird ice-cream flavour do you/ would you like?_

 **See you next update!**

 **-Cyan Rubies**


	6. Cracked Knuckles

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

 **Welcome to the 6th chapter of Never Too Late. Feel free to fire away at the reviews section.**

 **Enjoy.**

.

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

* * *

.

Aoi Fusako was twenty-seven years old and turning twenty-eight in about... what? A few months? She had forgotten when exactly her birthday was. Birthdays just seemed insignificant when you spent most of your life carrying out missions, and sometimes fighting to live, even.

But Aoi did remember that six years ago, she married her teammate from her genin team. Six years ago, she was pregnant, and she quit being a kunoichi and her husband, now in ANBU, left for a year-long mission. And she knew that about 5 years ago, Aoi gave birth to her first daughter- Aguri.

Aguri meant 'quiet', or at least the name sounded quiet to her. Looking at the peaceful looking features of her baby, she decided that Aguri suited her baby well. One wouldn't want a baby to be silent when it was first born, but Aguri had cried, like any normal child would.

But ever since then, crying for Aguri just didn't exist anymore.

No one really expected babies to be quiet, did they? Aoi had prepared herself for countless nights to go without sleep- such a feat would have been easy, seeing as she had been a ninja before she had been a mother. But in the contrary, she had always met with quiet, peaceful nights... There was not once where Aguri cried.

Her former kunoichi friends often confided in her that they were having a hard time looking after their children- one did not go from an occupation that consisted mainly of assassination and killing to looking after a new life that easily. They often talked about having to wake up in the middle of the night to sing their child to sleep, but even then, the peace was short-lasting.

On the other hand, Aguri had never screamed, or cried. Not even once, in nearly four years.

It seemed to be a sign- That somehow, or rather, Aguri was _different._ Sometimes, she seemed to stare into the walls with a kind of intensity, eyes darting around as if contemplating something. There was a time Aoi caught the look in her young daughter's eyes, and she was very much astonished. Astonished, yes, but never afraid- she could not have been afraid, even if she wanted to- Aguri was her flesh and blood, and she loved her dearly.

But sometimes, when her little baby looked up at her, sometimes she swore that her daughter seemed to be looking past her facial features- memorizing every detail of her habits, looking deeply into her character, and her eyes looked like she has seen and dealt with many experience. Her eyes even looked empty at times, almost as if she has lost everything precious to her.

Sometimes, Aguri looked... old. Maybe wary. But more often then not, she seemed carefree, and loved to steal candy, and she smiled so brightly that Aoi thought that she must have been imagining things all along. But when she looked at into her child's eyes, she realized there was no way Aguri's eyes- though a misty grey like her father's- actually belonged to a child.

So Aoi observed her child closely, because the only explanation she had was that her child was a genius, but in a way unlike the Uchiha children. She realized it as she noted how her child had taken up jogging- how Aguri always made sure to jog for an hour each time, and how she always knew how to pace herself, much unlike other children who tired themselves out at the beginning by sprinting. It was like Aguri was someone who had jogged all their life, but the thing was... Aguri was only three.

(Her little duaghter also had a mischievous, albeit cunning streak. That time, she caught the child in the study seemingly vandalising books, when she had been certain her eyes had been darting across the pages a few moments ago. That, and the incident where she ate all the chocolate, and seemingly knew how to draw attention away from herself when she brought her out to visit other clans.)

And that was why Aoi decided to let Aguri run off to train on her own. But she never didtruly leave Aguri alone, fr she was too worried about her daughter's safety. Genius or not, Aguri was still a child.

Aoi let out a sigh. The girl would make it big as a ninja. When Aguri actually started showing interest in being a ninja, Aoi wasn't sure whether she should rejoice at her daughter's decision or discourage her.

The life of a ninja was difficult, long and more often than not, ended in death. Children were sent out on missions as early as the age of 10, and even those who reached the topmost positions ended up dying in combat. The Memorial Stone was a good enough reminder for the countless shinobi lost.

She didn't know what she would do if she lost her only daughter.

Her daughter was peculiar, in many ways. Most children tried all types of candy before deciding on a favorite flavour- Aguri had touched only the pineapple-flavored candy like she had a strange fondness for them. She also once attempted to drink coffee, but Aoi didn't let her, because letting her drink coffee when she was not even four years old was ridiculous.

It would be as if she was admitting that Aguri was growing up, and fast.

When Aguri turned four, she took to books like a fish to water. It started with picture books, but Aguri seemed to get bored with them quickly, and she never brought them to her for more than two days. Then she picked up the short stories, then the novels, and she would make Aoi read to her every night, but something told Aoi that Aguri already knew how to read books.

Sometimes, Aoi thought she heard the flipping of pages, the crinkle of paper, and the moving around of books. But that thought alone was not logical. She wasn't even in the Academy, for goodness' sake!

Should her husband know about their daughter's strange habits and rapid progress? Miyuki was often out on missions as an ANBU, it may be better if she kept this to herself instead of worrying her husband about it. But after all, Aguri took after him the most, appearance-wise.

Aoi sorted out her thoughts, taking a moment to think things through collectively. Then she decided that what Aguri had was a gift, and that she and her husband should start training her in the respective Fusako and Miyusawa clan's jutsu when they had the time. Firstly, she would introduce Aguri to her cousin, Hajime, and she would have them both start training in taijutsu and the ability to use their clan specialty properly. Then, she would teach her daughter what she knew about the Fusako clan's earth jutsu.

Aguri had the Miyusawa clan's affinity for lightning, but that didn't mean she couldn't pick up the Fusako's earth jutsu. After all, her daughter had both her blood and her father's blood flowing within her. Learning Earth-style jutsu would be made simpler for her, and it would allow her to learn how to convert her natural lightning-affinity chakra for the use of earth-style jutsu. She would develop Aguri's chakra reserves as much as possible, because she had prominently inherited the large chakra reserves of the Fusako clan and the sensitive hearing of the Miyusawa clan.

She tapped the head buds that she wore. Aguri would be receiving her own set soon, when she managed to successfully master the jutsu's that she needed to learn. In the mean time, Aoi was considering that she send Aguri to the Academy, because from what she observed, she was progressing, and fast. At the same time, her daughter would not receive unnecessary attention as it was not that uncommon that children were sent to the Academy a year earlier- In fact, it was a usual practice for clan children.

.

After Aoi walked away with Mikoto and left Aguri all by herself with Mikoto's children, when she returned sometime later to check up on them, she was quite glad to see Aguri chasing three other people in what seemed to be a game of tag. Two of which was Mikoto's prodigious children, and the other was the boy she recognised as Uzumaki Naruto.

The civilians and lower ninja clans were not as well-informed as the other clans, and as a result they shunned the boy. She had nothing against the Uzumaki, in fact, she was quite proud of her daughter for seemingly making another friend without her own interference. It probably had to do with Sasuke- the boy was a good influence for her, allowing her young daughter to open up in ways she didn't know she could. Something in her ached, however. Uzumaki Naruto was the child of an old friend of hers.

"Come back here, Sasuke!"

Aoi heard Aguri growl as she dashed after Sasuke, and Aoi's pride swelled as she noted her daughter's excellent form when she ran. Sasuke turned and stuck out his tongue at Aguri and she snarled, almost catching up to him. When Aguri was all aggressive like that, she reminded her of herself in her younger days.

 _Sasuke-kun's a good influence,_ she decided.

Beaming at the children, a laugh beside informed her that Mikoto was thinking around the same lines as her.

"They sure are getting along splendidly!" Her Uchiha friend commented, and there was still an empty feeling. It would have been like old times, if only _she_ was still with them...

"Indeed." Aoi watched as Aguri yelled in triumph as she slapped Sasuke on the back, having successfully caught him, before turning to grab Naruto as both of them sprinted away. Itachi, the older brother figure, simply stood atop a tree and watched after them.

 _Ah. Good times._

* * *

.

Aguri was pissed.

She stared at the male in front of her, and on cue, a scowl creased her expression, glaring at the boy who stood before her.

Hell, she didn't really want to interact with anyone at the moment, even if it was her cousin. No one even _told_ her that she had a cousin, he just popped up one day and you learnt that you were somehow related, just like all cousins do.

Hajime Fusako was her cousin from her mother's side, and Aguri found him annoying. He might just even be more annoying than her old cousins, who had sat around playing on handheld consoles and ignored her when she was three steps away.

Why, you ask? Her cousin was looking down at her, well, both literally and figuratively. For goodness' sake, he was barely a year older yet he was a head taller than her!

Aguri sighed, shutting her eyes in exasperation, and turned to face her mother. It seems that it was time to finally learn and begin her training in her clan specialty. She had no clue if it was a specialty or a kekkei genkkai, but it was unique to the Fusako clan, and that counted for something, at the very least. Currently, Aoi was talking about the mechanics of how their jutsu worked, or rather, Aguri just assumed she was.

At the mention of chakra points, however, Aguri sat up and stared at her mother in curiosity. Aoi spoke seriously, her honey-brown hair tied up in a bun as she began her elaboration, and in that moment her mother looked like a discipline teacher.

"The Hyuuga Clan is able to see chakra points with the aid of their Byakugan. However, we do not have a kekkei genkkai that allows us to see the chakra network with our own eyes. However, you know what? The Fusako clan is trained in medical ninjutsu, and from this we can safely tell you,"

Her mother's eyes swept across both of the children as she gestured towards herself, her eyes lingering on Hajime, who had just knocked into Aguri on purpose.

"In the human body, there are 361 tenketsu points, and they are located everywhere in our body- our head, our arms, our legs, our chest, and our stomach. The way our clan specialty works- we use our chakra like electric shocks. It is possible to memorize each and every tenketsu point, but even then, there is not a hundred percent chance that you will be able to strike each and every of the chakra points with your shockwaves."

Aoi held up her index finger, smiling grimly, as sparks escaped from the tips of her finger, and Aguri had to wonder how many times her mother had made use of this very technique to _kill._ Her mother's voice was slow and had a dangerous edge to it, and Aguri wondered if she was ever in ANBU. She hardly sounded like the woman who nagged at her for eating too much chocolate. The hairs on her arms stood on end as she knew her mother was warning them to pay attention, and it was directed, simply to her cousin Hajime.

Remaining silent, Aguri observed the small demonstration, noting the way the sparks came out of her mother's fingers, and committing everything that her mother mentioned to her memory. Her mother then continued, folding her arms to her chest as she spoke, her tone laced with a sense of finality.

"We hardly target the chakra system. We target... the nerves."

And the rest of the details just fell into place.

It was rather self-explanatory. 361 tenketsu points. The Fusako Clan is able to emit lightning-based chakra in any form and in any amount that was wished. It may even be possible to manipulate natural electricity, because the high frequency of the Fusako Clan's chakra wavelengths made it possible to simulate real electricity. If applied to the correct nerve, electrical shockwaves and nerves could result in paralysis, and damaged nerves would result in the inability to move muscles and this prevented movement all together. Depending on the usage, it could cause long or short term paralysis. Electrical shockwaves could stimulate pressure points (even if Aoi said it wasn't necessary).

In traditional medicine, different pressure points could improve blood circulation, and help balance out what was known as _qi_ in the body. This was done by the process known as acupuncture therapy, where fine needles are inserted in points of the body. But what if it wasn't needles? What if it was simply weak electricity? That was only possible with good control, of course.

And this was where how some Fusako clan members were experienced medic-nin.

The Fusako can didn't just specialize in lightning-based jutsu, after all.

It specialized in everything to do with the control of lightning-affinity chakra.

* * *

.

Her mother began to teach Hajime and Aguri basic taijutsu, since it was pretty much important for their family specialty. Aguri's father would have taught them, but he was called to another mission.

(Aguri suspected that he was in ANBU. There were several times she could have sworn that he had stowed away a mask whenever she opened the door to let him in.)

After about three weeks of practicing the different stances and moves, and drilling them into physical exercises (which was manageable by the way but holy shit, it was so tiring!)

The moves had been... awkward to execute in the beginning as well. In the past, she was paranoid and signed herself up for self-defense and karate classes. While her mind remembered it the different techniques, her body was unused to kicking and punching. It would take a while for her body to grow accustomed to sparring. Maybe she could even develop her own style when she got better at this. After all, it was illogical for the body of a child to be able to execute the moves of a brown/black belt.

But she did enjoy the challenge of learning taijutsu, which was similar to karate, yet more different.

Aguri glanced across to the opposite side of the practice grounds and gave a growl when the boy with chocolate-brown hair and brownish eyes shot her a smirk when he was able to do more push-ups than her (he totally looked like poop!)

To other girls, he might have been considered cute, but his _'I'm better than you!'_ attitude rattled on her nerves more than it should have, but calling him cute would have been an insult to someone like Sasuke. In other words, it would have been like announcing to the world that she had bad taste. But she didn't, so her cousin, even though he was related to her, was still disgusting.

However, he _was_ related to her, and she was doomed to train with him until she got to the Academy, at least. Aguri shot him a glare as he leered at her.

 _I swear, if he talks about how he pulls the 'I'm-older-than-you' card or if he says that females are weak I'm going to flip!_

Aguri's mother looked between the two with what looked like understanding at the tension between the two children, and one of her eyebrows furrowed, if only slightly. Aguri noted the curl in her mother's lips that indicated that she was planning something, and Aguri didn't exactly like the sound of that. Not at all.

Her mother took a step forward and beckoning them to do the same, she offered them both a gentle smile, her eyes lingering on Aguri.

"Hm, let's have you two spar, shall we?"

Damn it!

But hey, maybe sparring with the ignorant idiot of a cousin would make her feel better.

Hajime grinned at her. And grinning made him look like he was stupid, with that lopsided smile. The look he sent her was taunting, and she could practically see the scorn in his expression. Her left thumb twitched as he began to speak, his voice sounding disgustingly innocent. (Not to mention obnoxious. Did he have to suck up to her mother every time he acted cute?)

 _Back off. She's my mom!_ _Mine, I tell you!_

"But Fusako-san, she's just a little kid! I bet she'll mess up like how she does all the time... well, you can't expect much from a little girl, anyway."

Oh the nerve he has, to insult her in front of her own mother. For that, she would applaud him. If she had learnt anything about her mother, it was that she was strict when it came to respecting opponents... and she didn't appreciate insults.

In the beginning, Aguri knew that she lagged behind because Hajime had begun practicing taijutsu earlier than she had. However, Aguri has also been practicing on her own all the time. She's been jogging, she's been trying to control her chakra well, she's been training with Sasuke, and that had to count for something on its own. She inwardly scoffed as she noted Hajime's smooth and unblemished hands that just didn't match up to his excessive boasting, and in stark contrast, her whole body was bruised, different patches blooming in different shades of black and blue and purple, because damn, Sasuke was a prodigy, and he hit _hard_.

There was no way she was going to lose.

The crack of Aguri's knuckle sounded loud and satisfying. In fact, it would be more satisfying, if that was the sound she heard when she punches him in his damn face.

Hakime's grin widened, and it just made her more annoyed.

He just _had_ to provoke her when it was bloody obvious that she wasn't in a good mood, didn't he? Normally she would have ignored the blatant mockery, but she's just sick and tired of being pushed around like she was inferior to him. Being stronger didn't mean being more superior. This was seriously a mindset that needed to be corrected.

 _Little kid, you say? Shut up, you brat!_

He didn't even deserve being called a 'little shit', because that title was reserved specially for Sasuke, and Sasuke alone.

However much she didn't exactly relish the idea of beating up a kid, she had to remind herself that she was in a world of ninja now. Children were literally trained to kill and survive when they were older. They were taught to punch, to stab, to assassinate when they should be playing and enjoyoing their childhood. Besides, this was a society where the strong looked down on the gentle. Just look at Hinata, for instance.

Other than that, what did kids their age love to do the most?

 _They beat the crap out of each other._

"Fusako-san, can we start already? There's no point waiting when I'm-"

The statement ended with a screechy and ear-piercing scream as something pounced on Hajime with an almost feral-sounding growl, and there was the sound of knuckle meeting soft, and unblemished skin.

 _Crack._

The little smartass had no idea what hit him.

.

Aoi didn't pull Aguri off until Hajime sported two black-eyes, a broken nose, three lost teeth, and four bruises, and all in all, Hajime looked terribly disfigured. However, Aguri had to admit that the new look suited him _extremely_ well, and her smug look didn't falter even as she was told off shortly later for not waiting for the match to start, and for not fighting in the way she was supposed to.

Well, she couldn't have fought properly anyway, if her dear cousin was just screaming and lying on the ground.

The one-and-a-half-month that Fusako Hajime didn't come for practice was peaceful, lovely, even. It was even worth her bruised knuckles, and Aguri stared at her newly-earned bandages with something akin to pride.

And when Hajime did come back, he cowered under Aguri's unnaturally wide and somewhat-innocent smile.

(Her expression was absolutely devoid of any sort of remorse.)

Needless to say, she didn't have trouble with the cousin again.

Heh.

.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **And here's a quick update (I'm quite surprised that I managed to update this so soon!)**

 **Presenting to you a pissed off Aguri xD And what do you think of her mother's POV earlier in the chapter!**

 **Regarding the story, do you guys think I should change the genre to Humor/Adventure for now? Or does Aguri's angsty monologue actually angsty?**

 **Thanks a bunch to:**

 **.**

 ** _Guest_**

 ** _Realworld no Shinobi_** _and_

 ** _SupremeGeneralJoker_**

 ** _._**

 **for the reviews and thank you for the responses to the weird question as well! How do you guys like chocolate chip cookies? xD**

 **.**

 **My response: Potato-flavored ice cream sounds kinda interesting, don't you think? It would be quite starchy and kind of sweet and it would be rather interesting in my opinion.**

 **Question:**

 **What is your first impression of Hajime and a pissed-off Aguri?**

 **.**

 **See y'all!**

 **-Cyan Rubies**


	7. The Unforeseen

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but I do own Aguri and my other OCs.**

 **Feel free to fire away at the reviews section :)**

 **.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

* * *

.

Apparently, her mother wanted Aguri to go socialize with people again, and for the special occasion, she brought Aguri to another clan's compound.

Aguri had anticipated the action, and she was stuffed into a stuffy kimono that... didn't suit her, to be honest. She had however, stocked herself up on pineapple candy, which was hidden in a pocket of her kimono. The kimono was pretty, if she was to be honest, but honestly, such fancy clothing didn't suit her. At all.

However, what she didn't anticipate was to be led into the house, pushed into a room and have the door slammed in her face. Her mother disappeared from her sight in a matter of seconds, and it was so quick that her mother could have been a whirlwind. It had happened so fast that Aguri had the suspicion that her mother was planning something once again.

Crawling over to the door, she pressed the side of her face to near the door, and she was glad for her naturally sensitive hearing.

(By the way, she had learnt that it was a hereditary trait of the Miyusawa clan, and it explained the head bud-like contraption that her mother often wore. Aguri could only assume that it was a special trait- just as Inuzuka's had a better sense of small. Electrical shock waves that was the specialty of the Miyusawa clan caused vibrations as it was transmitted, and the vibration of atoms caused sound. She could hear it in the form of a buzz, sometimes, but it was yet another thing she had to work on that was in her new bucket list.)

-"Sorry for the visit, Yoshino-san, I hope I'm not bothering you."

"It's fine, I needed to talk to someone anyway. Anyway, why are you here?" The other person asked, and Aguri could hear the kindly smile in her voice.

 _Yes, mother. Why did you feel the need to drag me out again?_

Leaning closer to the door, she frowned as their conversation was replaced by a non-committal buzz, and she brushed her fingers against her ears, confirming that it was just their conversation that was being tuned out by her mind. Did her mother just cast a jutsu to prevent her from eavesdropping?

Aguri shoulder's slumped over. Sometimes, her mother seemed to be able to predict her reactions perfectly, and Aguri had just no idea how she was aware of how she would act exactly when in a certain situation. She certainly needed to step up her game if she didn't want her mother suspicious of her. If this kept up, it was only a matter of time before her mother realized the truth about her and then, she had no idea what she might do.

(Of course, Aguri was aware that her mother might just be already aware that she was trying to hide something. There was several times she had spoke too much and revealed too much- for now, she would have to lie low. An adult in a child's body never did bode well, but as much as she wanted to act her age, there was just instances that she just _couldn't_. There was a fine line between being a mature child and being an adult, and there was sometimes she just couldn't act like she normally did.)

On the other hand, she felt that her mother had indeed found out something, and that the woman was currently discussing a plan with one of her friends. If her mother was truly not up to anything. There was no need to hide a friendly catching-up session to prying ears, and Aguri would have to admit that she was rather let down that she would not be able to hear anything from this point on.

Opening her palm in front of her, she flexed her long-looking fingers and her gaze lingered on them distastefully as she tentatively placed her hand against the door, willing her chakra to emanate from waves from her palm. The chakra travelled through the door in the form of wavelengths. A warm feeling wavelength was what she dubbed as 'natural' vibrations- those caused by the change of state in between matter. She ignored those natural vibrations and sent out her chakra further, when she felt her chakra wavelengths pick up something else- vibrations caused by sound. There were two different sources- she identified the one with higher frequencies as her mother's voice. The other one undoubtedly belonged to whoever she was visiting.

Wait.

Aguri shut her eyes, mentally replaying the brief conversation in her mind. Had her mother mentioned the name of the woman she was talking to? If she knew who exactly her mother was talking to, it was possible that she would just be able to find out the reason of her mother's visit.

 _Yoshino-san, was it?_

Yoshino sounded really familiar. It was like she should be someone she should recognize, but her memories were hazy. It might have been her imagination, but her memories were getting harder and harder to remember. It was like trying to draw water up from a pond with fishing net- she ended up fishing up stones and fish, but the other details slipped through her mind and fell through into a deep abyss that was her messed-up mind.

A slight sound made her whip around. It was a familiar crumpling sound that one heard when you rolled around on a bed, and her grey eyes widened as she registered the figure on the bed behind her, and her mouth parted in disbelief as the person had uncannily familiar features- dark brown eyes, a roundish face, and spiky black hair.

 _Oh. I see. Yoshino as in Yoshino Nara._

To make the situation worse, Shikamaru looked like he had just woke up a few moments ago, and the grumpy expression on her face told her that he did not like people barging into his room and even worse, the fact that he could not go out to eat breakfast since the bloody door was locked.

Aguri's face burned.

 _Great thinking, mother. Lock up your child with a grumpy one, and talking about your secret shit with someone else while you're at it.._

If this kind of shit was going to happen every time she came near a Nara, she was going to run far away.

Thank goodness she stocked up on pineapple candy.

* * *

.

Silence.

Aguri sat at the corner of the room, unable to bring herself to look at the spiky-haired boy in the eye. After all, she did just got herself locked in his room somehow, and she imagined that she would get somewhat pissed as well, if she woke up to find someone who was practically a stranger. (Not to mention if the said stranger fell onto herself and zapped her with chakra.)

Shikamaru even grumbled about her 'weird' tendencies, but in her defense, it was not like she actually asked for any of this shit to happen. Seriously, how was life in an anime so eventful? In her old life, nothing ever happened like this. It was like being in this universe made the probability of random shit happening increase by tenfold.

But now she was stuck in this room (Shikamaru's room, probably) and she would stay here until it was time to leave. Gosh. A long time ago, she barely had anything to do with people of the opposite gender, and she never was interested in relationships, and neither did she experience any form of sexual attraction. Of course, there was only one exception, and that was a crush that she had experienced in high school. He had been the only one who welcomed her when nobody else did. The feeling of being accepted for who she was...

Aguri fell in love with his kindness, but she could only wish that she could call it love. For three years, she had been foolishly drawn to this certain person, very much like the way Hinata was attracted to Naruto.

Only that she never got her happy ending. Aguri never got to tell that special someone how she felt- not because of a lack of time, but because of her own cowardice.

An unpleasant feeling burned at the pit of her stomach, and inside she felt hollow and empty and hopeless. Shaking her head, she lightly pressed a hand into her forehead as she winced at the new boiling pain that seared through her mind. Recalling memories was getting harder and harder. It was like this world, this _body_ , was forbidding her from remembering her past at all.

She propped her knees against her chest, and tentatively glanced up as her eyes scanned the perimeter of the room. It was furnished rather simply, and it looked rather normal, for a room that belonged to a would-be ninja. On instinct, she chewed persistently at her bottom lip.

Knowing her mother, who was capable of talking for hours at a go, she would almost definitely be stuck here for a while. Was there not a way spend the time in a form of interaction that was not awkward, for once? Her eyes sneaked a glimpse at the spiky-haired boy sitting in the middle of the

Thankfully, Shikamaru's eyes weren't on her, and she wondered if he was annoyed at her. It was the irrational fear of being on the receiving end of such experiences that made her unable to trust easily.

Her eyes landed on something on the floor. It resembled a chess board, but there was a more... traditional feel to the boxes.

Hang on.

A 13x13 wooden board, black and white pieces, small, light, and round... It was so familiar, only that it was in real life, rather than a game application that she had downloaded onto her old smartphone.

Her throat felt dry, and she would do anything for a glass of water at the moment, but somehow she managed to ask, her curiosity growing stronger than any reservations she held.

"Is that... Go?"

A few seconds passed, and she was beginning to wonder if the Nara boy had heard her at all, since she did have a tendency of being too quiet when she was talking. A long time ago, she had a soft-sounding voice- while her voice was naturally bright and soft, it did have the effect of people not taking her seriously because of her childish voice.

However, Shikamaru perked up immediately at the word 'Go', and in response he slowly nodded, glancing at her with remarkable and (newfound) nterest.

 _I understand your pain, Shikamaru! In my time, no one even knew wht was Go. Everyone thought that I played Othello, and they just played games like Candy Crush all day._

Aguri shuddered at the amount of invites she remembered receiving on her old Facebook account, begging her to supply extra lives to that game somehow. Seeing the set on the floor brought back fond memories of her struggling to win a game, but as time passed, she improved. 'Go' was frustrating, in more than one way. It wrecked your mind and physical patience. It tested your ability to comprehend moves of your opponents, your ability to spot plans, and to be careful with every move. She remembered the bitter taste of disappointment and the waves of frustration that she felt whenever her opponents made a comeback and wiped out her numbers, earning her a miserable loss. But throughout the years, she somehow manage to stick to it.

Shikamaru spoke.

"Do you want to play?"

 _Hell yeah._

Aguri crawled over to the set and adjusted her position in her kimono, but there was a strange glint to her eyes, and her smile was wider than it should be.

 _Heh, don't blame me if I'm overjoyed to be playing with a real human, for once._

Shikamaru sorted out the black and white pieces with an efficiency that suggested that he was experienced in handling board games. The soft taps of the black and white pieces against each others where calming as he sorted through the pile and poured the black-colored pieces in her hand, and Aguri almost looked at the pieces in awe. It was the first time she actually played real 'Go' outside of an application. Aguri beamed at the spiky-haired boy, excitement growing by the minute.

This was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

.

* * *

Screw the 'Go' application.

Did the clearing of all 10 levels in the game mean nothing when against Shikamaru Nara?

Aguri almost felt like pouting, but she stopped herself, instead tucking one of her knuckles underneath her chin as she furrowed her eyes at the board in front of her, gears in her brains turning vigorously. Annoyance radiated off her in waves as she frowned, glaring intensely at the board before her.

The game had started out in her favor, as she took away lots of his white pieces, but somehow, the moment he snagged away one of her black pieces, the game began to turn in his favor. Several moves later, Aguri's mouth parted as she regarded the board with a newfound interest.

Somehow, Shikamaru managed to corner her. Any moves on her part would result in her losing- badly, that is. How did he manage to do that in plain sight, she didn't have an inkling on how exactly he did it, but as her eyes scanned the board once more, she forced herself to steady her breathing as her eyes shut and she recalled the moves made before.

Woah.

While she was taking away those white pieces- holy shit, he _planned_ for her to take away his pieces. In fact, everything went according to his plan.

Somehow, this boy whom she had met a grand total of about two times has managed to do the impossible- She was defeated by a boy who had played this for five years when she has been playing for at least nine. This boy managed to come up with strategies that she had not a clue as to how to counter, and this boy has managed to see through her and read her movements like a book.

They don't know, but Shikamaru Nara is a genius in the making.

She sighed, as she tried to look for possible ways out of the predicament she was stuck in, but to no avail. Anywhere she placed her piece- the final result would be the same nonetheless. It was like Aguri stood in a field full of mines, and if she took a single step in any direction, the ground would explode beneath her, she would be killed, burned, and there was nowhere she could go- that is, other than death. Slapping down one of her pieces, she straightened to glance at him, a depressed air surrounding her as she watched him place down the winning move. Her eyes studied the board and she closed her eyes.

Shikamaru won by a whopping amount of about seventy points.

"I lost. Rematch?"

Aguri sounded weary, but she bit her lip and the corners of her lips stretched grimly- it was a dry smile, but it disguised her growing intrigue.

There was the slightest trace of... something in Shikamaru's eyes as he nodded, and cleared the board, sorting out the pieces, before handing her a handful of black-colored pieces.

"Ladies first," he commented, leaning back and looking at her expectantly, just like how a child would wait for his parent to give him his allowance of the week.

Aguri scowled, before letting out a small huff She wasn't really annoyed, but whatever.

"Shut up, I'm not a lady. You go first."

Shikamaru shut up without question. Aguri was not even sure if there was a rule to putting down black pieces first, then she remembered that yes, there was. Swapping her black pieces for Shikamaru's white ones, she watched as he placed down the first piece. Maybe he had seen through her intentions, maybe not, but it was nice that he was so compliant.

When the next game ended, she lost by thirty points. And the game after that, she lost by about twenty.

Another game ended, and she lost by five points.

Gruelling hours spent over the board passed in a blink of an eye, and Aguri was sucked into it and was playing another match with Shikamaru.

It also happened to be the time her mother came over to bring her home. Aguri wailed inwardly as she was prevented from exacting her revenge. Trying to flail her way back to the board, she failed miserably as her mother carried her up and Aguri growled in slight frustration.

 _No, I can't go! I haven't beaten him yet!_

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at her presumably over-exaggerated reactions, before he stood up to see her off.

(Looks like Shikamaru was not completely lazy yet)

"If you want to play somemore, you can just come back another time."

Aguri considered it. Was this a plan on Shikamaru's side too? What if she came back and he had formed a plan to easily defeat her? On the other hand, if she refused to come back, Shikamaru would take it that she was admitting defeat, and there was no way she would be able to live that down. She digressed, if tomorrow she came back to him a winner and the day after that he defeated her again, she would go nuts.

But nevertheless she swallowed, and shut her eyes as she considered the offer.

Eventually, she couldn't bother thinking of 'what-ifs' and a sigh escaped from her mouth as she rubbed her head.

She ended up going back many, many times.

.

* * *

A kick flew through the air, and there was the whistle of the wind in the air as Aguri kicked out, panting and very much covered in dirt, however her eyes retained every bit of focus, her normal sloppy demeanor temporarily being abandoned in favor of serious training. Her mother, standing by the side of the compound and supervising her every movement, was currently giving her instructions on where Aguri was to strike next.

"Intercostal nerves."

Aguri jabbed two points on the dummy, one jab above the chest and the other slightly above its stomach, electricity flowing through tightened knuckles, and passing into the dummy from her strike. Her mother watched on almost impassively as she began to say the names of several specific kinds of nerves in the body in particular.

"Radial nerves."

Aguri backed away before lunging forward and striking the target at two points of his inner arms. Her arms were beginning to ache and her ash-brown hair looked disheveled and out of place, but she ignored the mild feeling of discomfort and launched herself into a proper fighting stance, awaiting her next order.

"Superficial nerve."

Jumping a few steps in front, she dropped onto the floor, her arms straining from the effort of supporting her weight. Her leg swept across the dirt floor with a whoosh and kicked the target at a point above his ankles, channeling chakra through the soles of her feet this time, and let the faint tingle of her electricity pass into the dummy with the impact.

"Spinal cord."

Her lungs burned and heaved, and she felt like every hair on her body was standing from the static, but Aguri darted towards the dummy, pulling back her arm. Her fist slammed into the back of its neck like it was made of clay, and there was a loud tearing sound as a wave of electricity passed through her arm and into the training dummy.

Her knuckles and feet burned, and if Aguri didn't know any better, she would have thought that they felt numb, somehow.

Aguri straightened, her breathing quick and heavy as she looked expectantly over at her mother, who rose up from her seat nearby and walked past her, before examining the dummy.

"Good, you didn't burn the dummy this time," Aoi commented, flipping the dummy over to its back with a thud as she examined the spot that was last struck- the spinal cord, one of the most important nerves in the body. A strike, if performed correctly, could cause a lack of coordination and paralysis.

"Good, good... you even tore it, and this thing is made of rubber..." Her mother stood up and walked over to Aguri. She gave a smile as she began to mess up Aguri's hair, and Aguri found herself frowning.

"Your movements are... sharper. Your speed has improved from last time and your aim is a little bit better, though you do still need to work on it more. Keep that up, and you'll master the technique is no time. Next lesson, I'll be teaching you how to handle weapons and how to channel your chakra through them, and in the meantime, take this."

Her mother rummaged around in one of her weapon pouches, and fished out a piece of paper from it, handing it over to Aguri who stared at the words on it. It was an address, for...

"The Academy?"

Her mother smiled, the upturned corners of her lips made something akin to pride on her face. However, there was something about it that made her look... weary. Tired. Resigned, even.

"Yes, Aguri-chan. You're going to the Academy. In a week, in fact."

.

 _Nonononononono_

"But I thought I'm only supposed to go next year?" The desperation in her voice didn't go unnoticed.

"Enrolling children early is a common practice among clans."

With the resigned look on Aoi's face, it looked like she had already expected a barrage of questions, planned out her answers to those questions, and made sure that there was no way Aguri could argue her way out of this. She bit her lip as she began to furiously think and think. This wasn't possible. She wasn't supposed to go to the Academy yet. She wanted to stay with Sasuke, with Naruto, and make sure she could be there to help them should any form of unexpected incidents happen to them from the Butterfly effect.

No, she didn't want to, she _needed_ to. The idea of being around people- more people than she has been around in ages terrified her. There was no way she could survive the Academy without someone she was close to for the support. There was no way she could deal with dealing with school again, no, not being judged, watched and laughed at for every mistake. The first year of the Academy would be filled with young six-year olds, but children were notorious for a reason. These kids thought that killing was okay, as long as they kill the bad guy. These kids thought that every monster in a fairy tale deserved to die. These kids were literally born to die- In the Academy, they would be equipped with just enough skills to make them pawns. If they were talented, they made it to the top. If they weren't, they were sent to the field and they would be slaughtered by superior enemy-nin.

It was a vicious, morbid cycle of the strong and the weak, the superior and inferior, and life and death.

And that was why Aguri refused to give in.

Aguri frowned, but she continued to talk. She was just fighting a losing battle, since she was not remotely good with speaking, but she might as well try to prolong the happiness she had before she was sent off to learn how to kill.

"But I'm going to be younger than everyone. I don't like that."

The hanging undertone that was ' _I won't be able to talk to anyone'_ was heard but unaddressed. Her mother seemed to think that this was another way to get her to open up, but _no_. It might work if she was older, and surrounded by mature minds, but kids around the age of five were terribly hung up on minor facts such as being older and they liked to think that having one advantage equals to being better than others. That being a boy made you stronger, or being taller meant that you weren't a wimp and everyone else was.

Aguri did not mean to generalize, but those who thought that way was unfortunately a majority. Many kids were led to believe that their way of thinking was the only way and it had to be correct, and this often made many develop insufferable superiority complexes. Her cousin Hajime was a perfect example, but hopefully he has learnt better than to judge a book from its cover from the last beating he got. Honestly, she couldn't stand the boy, but she couldn't care less about him, either. A dawning realization stuck her as she sighed, biting her lip once more.

"I'm going to attend school with _him_?!"

Her mother knew exactly who she was talking about, and an amused smile flashed across her face. The gesture made Aguri grit her teeth, because it made her feel that her feelings in the matter did not matter. A hand landed on her head in sympathy as her mother responded.

"I know you're not fond of your cousin, but you are healthy influences for each other."

Wow.

Aguri had no clue that beating each other up and getting pissed off were the fundamentals of a 'healthy' relationship. What, wouldn't Sasuke be a healthy influence? Wouldn't Naruto and Shikamaru be one? Hell, wouldn't tolerating kids her own age be better than getting picked on by an annoying cousin? Aguri figured that the period of a docile Hajima had long passed and he would soon begin to descend on her with more viciousness than ever.

Her mother had obviously been pulling strings behind her back, and Aguri was willing to bet that she had went over to the Nara's to seek an opinion on the matter.

Time to pull the final (and most desperate) card. Down the drain with her pride, Aguri despised the idea of attending the Academy when it wasn't her time to go.

"B-but I want to go to class with Sasuke and Naruto-kun and Shikamaru-kun..."

It came out sounding like she was a wounded puppy, and it would have worked, in fact, if her mother had not already memorized perfect comebacks to each of her protests. However, watching her mother frown made her somewhat satisfied that she managed to evoke some sort of emotions in her mother. It would be most lovely if her mother was feeling regret or guilt for doing this to her without asking her.

"You can still go and see them, and they'll attend the Academy next year too and you will be able to see them in between classes. Now, don't create trouble when you're there, got it? You're going to the Academy. There's no more need for further discussion."

The conversation ended on a note of finality.

She couldn't argue anymore, even if she wanted to. Arguing too much would be suspicious for a five-year old, because ninja were raised to not question and believe in the decisions made by others. If Aguri had spoken more against going to the Academy, she would have given away her insight on certain topics. After all, she had to play the part of a 'reluctant yet compliant five-year old' well.

Inwardly, Aguri seethed. She felt... cheated. This woman, whom she has grown to care about, had just callously shot down her feelings of the matter. It may have just been a simple matter of whether or not she had to go to school, but knowing her new mother didn't value her opinion on matters involving herself... hurt.

There was something that made Aguri feel that Aoi knew more than she let on.

Watching as her mother walked away, leaving the piece of paper crumbled in her hands, reality crashed onto her like a brick. Damn brick.

Her hand shook in silent anger as she contemplated the paper in her hand coldly as she bit her lip, but she broke. Frustration screamed in every one of her nerves as she gripped her knuckles. Hard. The paper in her hands crumbled like the remaining control she had over her life.

Today she was Aguri Fusako, a five-year old girl training to be strong. From next week onward, she would be training to be a ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village, and she would lose the freedom that came with being a child.

 _ **Shitshitshitshitshitshit**_

.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Bet you didn't see that coming ;)**

 **I have to apologize for the late update! I was down with a cold and I didn't feel very well. I actually had already finished this chapter and the next but I didn't get down to editing to make it more read-able yet. I'm sorry! This chapter is slightly longer to make up for it!**

 **If you see any errors or awkward phrasing, feel free to point it out so I can change it!**

 **By the way, holy shit guys. 60 favorites and 92 follows, as of today? I can't describe how happy I am at the moment, really thank you all for reading and giving Never Too Late a chance! I love you guys :")**

 **And here's a special thanks to my reviewers!**

 ***cue a rain of chocolate chip cookies***

 **Thanks a lot to: SupremeGeneralJoker, Hellfire000, Realworld no Shinobi, Rikakoi Himawari, and 4everfictional for your reviews! Thank you guys :3**

 **.**

 **My answer: Well, Hajime's an annoying brat but hopefully a pissed-off Aguri will keep him in his place! xD**

 **Question:**

 **Who is your favorite character in Naruto? What qualities do you like about the character?**

 **.**

 **See you next update!**

 **-Cyan Rubies**


	8. Mistakes

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.** **I only own Aguri and my other OCs.**

 **Welcome to chapter 8 of Never Too Late!**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

.

Aguri slouched over in her seat slightly, as she ate up her bowl of ramen in large spoonfuls, savoring the heavenly taste as she gulped down one spoon after another.

Holy shit, when did ramen taste so good? She had always loved eating ramen at restaurants, but even so, the ramen here somehow managed to surpass her favorite ramen shop back in her hometown.

There was just something about the ramen at Ichiraku's that was fragrant and enticing. The soup was thick yet not choking on the taste buds, managing to keep a rich flavour to it. The noodles were thin and easy to eat, and the thin and precise shape of each noodle was further enhanced by the flavor of the soup. The delicate slices of pork was heavenly, and the seaweed added a taste which reminded her pleasantly of the briny scent of the sea. The egg was specially boiled to be firm on the outside, but soft on the inside.

In many ways, it was like trying her old preference of ramen once again, but in a different life, only that the flavour was brought out several degrees higher- maybe even better. Nonetheless, as she chewed on a spoonful of noodles, a sense of nostalgia washed over her and a kind of bittersweet warmth pooled in her stomach.

She was reminded of days spent slurping noodles and laughing with her dear mother, and trying to get her older brother to try matcha, and trying to convince her uptight father that cosplaying was fun. As of date, her biggest achievement was managing to get her brother into the Tokyo Ghoul fandom. Those were the days she cried and she laughed.

Moments of joy and misery were important to cherish and remember, and allowing those moments to break, so much like a sheet of glass, had been her undoing.

"Heh, I totally going to beat ya, Sasuke!"

"Nope, you did not! Shut up!"

Glancing over next to her, Aguri glanced at the two kids sitting next to her, somewhat amused as she noted that for the fourth time that day, they had picked a fight with each other. Sure, they were friends- they were just extremely competitive.

It seems that Naruto and Sasuke were destined to eternally be rivals. Currently, they were competing on who could eat the most bowls of ramen. Aguri stared at the two in disbelief as the number of empty ramen bowls mounted higher and higher on the table. Naruto had finished ten bowls already and Sasuke had finished eight and was starting on his ninth one.

But other than that, the adorable little shits got along swimmingly.

Naruto had been shy, and hesitant of approaching both herself and Sasuke, and it was heartwarming to watch him open up to them more and more. It was mostly because of his healthy friendship with Sasuke, that had now turned into a slight rivalry. Naruto was slowly but surely becoming the hero who would save many one day.

Aguri smiled as she finished her bowl of ramen and asked for a second bowl. Naruto discovering Ichiraku was a blessing in disguise.

What were they doing here, you may ask?

Apparently, they wanted to celebrate her new enrollment in the Academy. While they were both seemingly glad that she could enter earlier, she honestly did not feel the same way. Was something like this worth celebrating? Should she be glad that she was signing herself up to be a ninja earlier?

Before this, Aguri had planned out what she wanted to do for the next of the year- study all the books there were in the library without messing up her eyes, explore the town, master the techniques she was taught, and hopefully begin to try out tree-climbing. She even planned out her visits to the Nara and all her different strategies of defeating Shikamaru in Go and she had even been considering training with Naruto and Sasuke together.

But of course, her plans were sorely ruined as her sudden enrollment in the Academy basically meant lesser free time. Hell, if there was one thing Aguri disguised, it was someone making a dent in her schedule and stepping over her plans. Not that she could do anything about it, now.

Ironically, being a year ahead in the Academy meant there wasn't much she could do to change anything at all. Thankfully, she wouldn't be in Team Seven, but that was... bad. She wouldn't be able to prevent deaths, such as the deaths of Haku and Zabuza. She wouldn't be able to protect Sasuke from the pedophile of a snake. Everything would be out of her control. Maybe this was a sign of how much the world despised her- being reborn here, with knowledge of the future, only to be rendered unable to do anything to change anything at all.

She wouldn't be able to look after Naruto and Sasuke, even if she wanted to.

In other words, she was useless, wasn't she?

But she didn't belong here, anyway. Why should an outsider like her be allowed to change the future of countless shinobi? Furthermore, with knowledge came responsibility, and Agurii did not feel that she could handle responsibility at all.

She quietly ate her bowl of ramen, but the warmth she felt from eating it was gone. Faded. Non-existent. Mocking. The bitter taste in her mouth remained, and the hollow feeling in her gut was persistent and stubborn.

Aguri smiled, but it was in no way a happy smile.

* * *

.

"Aguri-chan, let's go eat dango!" Naruto ran ahead, the little ball of golden hair quickly disappearing from sight as he ducked forward, roaming around in search of the renowned dango shop in Konoha. the little boy's appetite for food was definitely insatiable, because for goodness' sake, Naruto just finished about ten bowls of Ichiraku ramen.

"Sure." She heard herself say.

Sasuke trailed at her side, grudgingly admitting that he was full and could not compete with Naruto any longer, accepting his (not so) humiliating loss against Naruto's appetite for food. Briefly, he mentioned how his big brother, Itachi, would have loved to eat dango with them, but that he was unfortunately performing his duties as a ninja. Aguri's force stretched in a smile as she gave a nod, before inwardly wincing and hoping it was not to stiff.

At her strange behaviour, the small-sized Uchiha poked his head into her field of vision, his obsidian black eyes widening in curiosity as he glanced at her features.

"You're sad, Aguri-chan." It was a statement, and definitely not a question. The Uchiha fell silent as he stared into the features of the girl, inwardly pondering on what could be the problem.

 _What, she was that obvious?_

"Nothing. I just don't want to go to the Academy so soon, Sasuke-kun."

Aguri admitted, eyes closed as she contemplated if she could pour out whatever was bothering her to the boy, but decided against it. Sasuke was intelligent, that was true. But they were raised differently. Sasuke has been introduced to fighting and weapons ever since he was born. Aguri didn't belong here. She was born in a world where violence was frowned upon and where children was generally not allowed to fight. Her fingers fidgeted towards her pocket, long and shaking, like a panicked spider. There was a crinkle of plastic that sounded like one that belonged to a candy wrapper and she abruptly moved her epmty hand away from her pocket as Sasuke spoke.

"D'you want to talk about it?"

Aguri frowned, before she shook her head, her lips twisting downwards.

"I don't think you'd understand, Sasuke-kun."

His eyes remained wide and black. Sasuke didn't deny the statement.

And it was true. Sasuke didn't understand, no, Aguri would have never wanted him to understand. But it didn't stop him from trying to get her to talk. In that aspect, she recognized his stubbornness and persistence- the traits that would stay with him until far later.

"Why not, though? Itachi-nii said that the Academy's interesting."

 _Interesting_ indeed.

Somehow, Sasuke's innocent pursuing of the subject lifted her mood, if only because of his somewhat-childish persistence. Aguri didn't relent for once at his small tugs on her sleeve and the slight pout of displeasure he wore on his face.

"Shush, Sasuke-kun. It's not like I'm refusing to go to the Academy, you know. It's just that I'll have to wait an entire year until you and Naruto-kun enter."

That was a partial truth which Sasuke would have to make do with. It wasn't the entire reason, but yet it wasn't a outright lie, either. She was subtly dodging his questions, even if he was not aware of it. But then, she would rather dodge his questions forever than have him know the truth, and Aguri was not comfortable to give a completely blatant and untruthful lie.

A triumphant smile appeared on the Uchiha's features, and his black eyes filled with mirth.

"Hm, bet Aguri-chan'll miss me and Naruto-chan a lot! Bet you might even cry about!" He teased, grinning up at her.

The little shit even stuck out his tongue.

Damn it. She laughed at the irony. Sasuke was a kind child with a mean (albeit playful) streak. She was a twenty-five year old in the body of a kid. Naruto was a lovely child who was called a monster.

Swallowing, Aguri scowled before relenting, giving a pout in retaliation. Even when he was young, Sasuke was still somewhat a jerk towards other people. Wow. Turning towards him, her grey eyes, narrowed at him slightly as she poked him in the head, her tone taking on a slightly chastising tone. Back in her day, it was a tone she reserved for her juniors when she told them off for goofing around during choir practice. Heck, Aguri admitted herself that the habit of hers made her sound like a teacher who particularly liked to nag.

"Shut up, you little shit. I'm still going to visit, don't discard me from your lives so easily."

Sasuke's eyes widened.

Aguri gave a dry laugh. Sticking her hand into his dark hair, a grin stretched on her face as she messed up his hair, making it look even more like it belonged to a fluffy bird. His hair had always resembled a chicken butt, but now it looked like the said chicken had run through a hedge and blown with a hairdryer.

Sasuke's eye twitched in annoyance as he noticed the terrible state of his hair, and his displeasure was shown clearly through his face.

"Stop that!" He whined, shaking his head in an attempt to get her off, his eyes turning puppy-like in an attempt to soften her heart of ice.

It worked.

Aguri turned away, before she swung her hand back in front of her. Somehow, a smile crept up on her face and she let out a laugh.

"Heh, whatever. Let's go catch up to Naruto-kun."

Sasuke complied and grabbed her arm, before beginning to drag her towards the famed dango shop. Aguri's eyes widened and she growled, not appreciating being dragged around, but at the same time, not really minding.

The numerous amount of pineapple candy in her pocket remained untouched.

.

* * *

 ** _Dear Aguri-chan,_**

 ** _It seems that your father has landed himself in hospital. I'm going to leave home early everyday to discuss his condition with the medic-nin in charge. Be a good girl, now. Feel free to go play with Sasuke, Naruto or Shikamaru._**

 ** _-Mom_**

She got that note six days ago.

* * *

.

A soft thunk hit wood, and Aguri scowled as she walked over to pick up the dropped kunai. The kunai had strayed far from the target, and it hit the tree in their garden instead of the actual target.

Holy shit. This was annoying.

She gripped the kunai in her hand, attempting to find a more comfortable grip to no avail. Damn it, she could get it last time, why couldn't she do it now?

Every day. Every single day she's been training. Aguri woke up at five and trained persistently until late in the evening, Normally, she wouldn't have bothered... but this was different. She wasn't in her old world anymore- procrastination wasn't going to benefit her, unless getting herself killed counted as a benefit. Maybe she shouldn't have been pushing herself so hard, but Aguri didn't care. Training gave her a goal. It gave her something to focus on rather than the impeding deadline.

Maybe, she was just so far gone that she didn't care about getting hurt anymore.

In frustration, she grabbed the kunai and swiped it at the nearest dummy, growling as she prowled forward with each slash.

Mother was not around. _Slash_.

Dad was hurt. _Slash_.

Hajime was not around, too, but Aguri would have loved to have someone to train with more than ever. _Slash_.

Sasuke and Naruto were off somewhere, Sasuke had clan stuff and Naruto nowhere to be found. _Slash._

She didn't really feel like losing at Go, at the moment. _Slash._

She couldn't seem to get this damn thing right. _Slash_.

Academy was starting in three days. _Slash._

She just couldn't get used to this. **_Slash._**

The dummy fell backwards, straw billowing out from the slashes on its chest. Its neck was bent at a rather grotesque angle, and lifeless button eyes regarded her, unimpressed. It fell on the ground, limply and silently, torn in half.

She dropped the kunai, fists clenching so hard you could see the white of her knuckles.

Why could she still not get it?

Didn't she get the basic technique down just two days ago? She had thought that she could practice it again and again, just to master it fully, just before going on to work on her very first jutsu that she had started learning from her mother a few days ago.

But she just... lost all of it. None of her shuriken or kunai was hitting the mark. Aguri couldn't even form the handseals properly. It just felt like something was off. She always had a problem with handseals, her naturally inflexible fingers that had difficulty forcing themselves into different seals.

But she knew the difference between _unable to do_ and _unused to doing._

All of her progress... somehow, it felt like instead of improving, everything she had accomplished so far had disappeared into smoke. She probably couldn't even dodge or fight properly, with how dull and sluggish her body felt. There was a dull heaviness on her back and a pain in her head, one that made its presence clearer with every pound it made.

She hated this.

Aguri hated how her fingers were refusing to obey her. She hated the venom that flowed through her veins and made her feel the way she did now. She hated how she couldn't stop herself venting on things around her. She hated herself for letting her body regress to this point where everything was wiped clean. She hated the helplessness that grew stronger with each passing second.

Slowly, Aguri made herself pick up the kunai. The bladed weapon hung loosely in her fingers like a thousand weights.

A smile almost made its way onto her lips when the kunai slipped from her hands, and fell back to the dirt ground.

She swallowed, forcing herself to calm down and to breathe. Aguri made herself analyze the situation- because she was an adult and 'adults always know everything' But no, she couldn't fathom why even her brain was not functioning properly.

Aguri wanted to scream.

Biting down on her lip, she slowly pushed her fingers into each and every seal position that was needed for the jutsu she would try to master, making sure that each and every hand seal was positioned without a fault- Ox, Rabbit, Monkey.

She pulsed her chakra through her hands in preparation for the jutsu, but as small bolts of lightning sizzled through her hands, it quickly died out with a flicker.

Her hands remained frozen in the last hand seal, and she attempted to move them back to their normal position. Her fingers refused to budge.

Aguri shakily took a breath as she flexed her shoulders cautiously. Then, she moved her shoulders so that they would not be so stiff. Little by little, she tugged at her hands. But when they did separate, they fell to her sides like dead weight.

Numb, and heavy, and devoid of any sensations that she normally picked up. They felt like useless sacks of rubber.

For a while, Aguri was at a loss of what do. Her head burned, growing increasingly aware of her irritation freshly flowing in the aching of her legs. Soon, the sun came up in noontime, and she was yet to be able to move her hands. In fact, if anything, they felt even more impossible to move- like they had taken advantage that she wasn't able to move them and locked down permanently.

Aguri was useless without her hands.

Fresh panic set in, pounding in her head, and sounding resoundingly loud in her ears and in her blood. But it was noon, and her mother would not reach home until three. Consecutively waking up early for morning training had been a wrong choice, evidently. It was a mistake on her part.

Numbly, she shuffled over to the door, attempting to open it with the soles of her feet, but it refused to grant her entry. Then she remembered that it was locked, and the keys were with her mother, because Aoi had assumed that Aguri would still be training when she reached home.

In her frustration, she nearly kicked the door down but she stopped, because logically her physical body wasn't strong enough and she felt that she shouldn't enhance her strength with chakra, seeing that the use of chakra might be the cause of her paralysis in her hands. Growling, she leaned down against the wall, biting her lip as she closed her eyes.

For a while, she knocked and kicked at the door using her shoulders and legs, but after a while it sank in that she wasn't actually doing anything other than denting the door and bruising herself, so she slumped against the door in desolation.

Silence.

Aguri was here, and she was all alone.

And suddenly she was choking, a tremor of disgust at herself passing through her body as she coughed, and her eyes widened at the spittle of blood that had been hacked from her throat. Or maybe, possibly even her lungs.

Useless. After so much training, she suddenly lost everything. Was there ever anything she would do right? After so much training, here she was, still waiting for someone to help her. Three days away from entering the Academy, and she was still at this level. Her hands had always been doing everything for her, but with them gone she felt unable to do anything, vulnerable, even.

If there was anything she despised more, it was being helpless.

Her head was burning, her throat burning, her vision dizzy, her legs blistered, and her hands... felt the same as they did about three hours ago.

Aguri shut her eyes, but the tears didn't come. They never did.

In a dazed stupor, she opened her eyes, wincing at the light from the sun causing her eyes to feel dry- she must have fell asleep. Her arms still felt heavy and cut off from the rest of her body. But nevertheless her eyes, grey and misty, registered something- a shadow approaching the front porch.

Mother was home.

Aguri smiled- and her eyes rolled shut.

.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **What do you think happened to Aguri?**

 **It seems that every time I write something remotely mood-lifting, I have to write something sad too. Damn, I feel evil.**

 **Well, I hope this chapter wasn't a disappointment. The next chapter might come later because I have to rewrite some parts but it'll be up as long as I'm still alive ;)**

 **Thank you for reading this author's note, too!**

 **Lots of lovely cookies for: SupremeGeneralJoker, Lumiax and Realworld no Shinobi!**

.

 **Answer: I like Yagura, Shino, Shikamaru, Neji, Itachi, Gaara... You know what, I actually love everyone except for Danzo and Kabuto. Yagura's my favorite though, because I feel like he is actually a good person before getting genjutsu-ed.**

 **Question: If Aguri and Sasuke met as babies, what would their first meeting be, in your opinion? xD**

 **.**

 **Thank you, and have a nice day!**

 **-Cyan Rubies**

 **P.S. Feel free to tell me your opinions in the review section and point out any glaringly obvious typos or awkward phrasings that I may have missed and I'll get them edited right away.**


	9. Orientation

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but I do own my OCs.**

 **Warnings: Break-downs, slight angst, shitty humor, Shikamaru, weird shit, and an evil universe.**

 **.**

 **A/N: Welcome to chapter 9 of Never Too Late!**

 **We have hit a hundred follow, so I would like to thank you all for reading this stoy!**

 **Special cookies (huehue) go to: Guest, SupremeGeneralJoker, and Realword no Shinobi for reviewing :3**

 **Feedback is appreciated!**

 **(Question of the chapter is at the end)**

* * *

 **Chapter 9:**

* * *

.

Aguri stared up at the overly-bright green ceiling of her room, her mind unconsciously beginning to zone out. What the hell happened?

That's right- she was training, her arms lose their feeling, she fell asleep, she woke up, then she passed out? And then...

Like a ghost, her mother appeared beside her, lips bit and curled down in anger. Aoi's usual amiable features were twisted, her hazel eyes blazing, her usual smiling features replaced with a fierce look, and her lip trembling.

"I leave the house for a few hours, and this happens?!"

 _Oh no. The rage-fit is coming._

Listening to her mother's scoldings would have been bearable if it wasn't for her sensitive hearing, meaning that each of her mother's shrieks were amplified. Aguri winced and rubbed her head, fully aware that yes, she deserved to get scolded for not being more careful.

"Aguri, I'm serious. You could have lost your chance to be a kunoichi."

Rubbing her head, Aguri turned towards her mother. Her head felt eerily clear from the lack of a throbbing pain, and Aguri nodded slowly, the blood flowing through her ears pounding hard. Swallowing, she murmured in response.

"Yeah, I sort of figured it out when you know, my arms stopped working."

"That's not the point. You could have died!" The note of hysteria in her mother's voice made her bite her lip at the revelation. Her mother remained silent and Aguri sneaked a glance at her, remorse sneaking its way into her features. She hadn't meant to make her mother worry, because she would never want to worry her parents unnecessarily. But this time, it had really been an accident. Aguri wouldn't have trained that day if she knew that this was going to happen.

Aoi sat on the floor, her hands tangled in her hair, her expression distraught, wild, even and her lips quivering. It was a look that Aguri recognized so well, even though it was the first time she saw such an expression on her mother.

Her mother looked ready to cry, or give out from stress. Her hands were shaking, and her breathing was panicked and shallow. It was terrifying, watching her mother break down- her usual calm demeanor was gone and as a result she was losing control, losing the only thing that kept her grounded.

Something was wrong.

She rose up from underneath her blankets, the fabric of the blanket giving a small rustle as she got up, shuffling herself over to the side of the bed and tentatively placing both of her feet on the cool, wooden floor. Both her hands and legs had the familiar pins-and-needles feeling that you got when you accidentally sat down on your hand for too long, but some feeling was better than none, and when Aguri tested her weight on both her feet, she found that she could support herself.

Half-stumbling, half-walking, she made her way over to her mother, because she knew that when you were alone during a break down, you tend to only think of the worst things that could happen. Sinking to the ground beside Aoi, she slowly propped her kness against her chest. The up-close sight of her bruises and injuries first hand seemed to upset her mother even more, and she nearly burst into tears.

Aguri swallowed, and tucked her hand into her pocket to hide the bruises. Carefully, she moved nearer, even though she had no idea how to comfort her mother. Remaining silent, she watched as Aoi cried and breathed hard and broke down. Aoi tried to muffle some screams of frustration, and Aguri felt her insides twisting painfully.

Yet, the dreaded sense of hopelessness descended onto her, because she was not capable of making others happy. She didn't have an infectious happy aura like Naruto, a kind presence like little Sasuke, or even a relaxing one like Shikamaru. She didn't know how to comfort and make others feel better when they broke down, because how can she that ' _everything will be alright'_ when even she herself never believed it?

She never knew what was right to say, and what was not. Or what she should do, and what she shouldn't. The only thing she knew how to do was to stay there and listen.

Today, she saw Aoi Fusako as a woman of twenty-seven. She saw Aoi Fusako as a woman suffering from stress and problems and secrets she wanted to keep to herself. All this time she had assumed that the woman she dubbed her mother was happy and content. Watching her break down seemed to be a bitter reminder that Aoi was twenty-seven, and Aguri was twenty-five, and that Aoi has went through many things she could never dream of, and she has just as many issues in life as she did. Aoi has felt pain and she has secrets.

They were alike, in more ways than one.

In silence, her mother sat by the door, but slowly she was calming down. In that moment, Aguri saw someone who was her age- tired and unsure of what to do next. The burden Aoi carried weighed more than Aguri's recent training mishap- something bad had happened and when she said _bad,_ it had to be an understatement. How did Aoi react when she found her daughter fainted, leaning against the front door?

It must have been the breaking point.

Bottling up your emotions never led to any good, so why do people still hide their emotions?

.

It has been a long time since she snapped. When she returned from the hospital, bad news returned with her, but for now, it would be a secret.

Aoi looked up at the arm that had found the way around her shoulder as her daughter huddled in closer to her. A half-hug- not like children who normally went full on hugging. It was casual, and once again she thought of how fast her daughter was growing up, and how adult-like she acted sometimes. The gesture reminded her painfully of someone she once knew, and as she hastily wiped away her tears, she forced her teary vision to focus on her daughter.

The way her daughter behaved at times reminded her of an old friend of hers. She laughed emptily at the thought of a five-year old behaving like someone who was twenty-six. But the similarities were there, nonetheless, and Aguri had always seemed to be mature, no matter how hard she tried to play it off. Her little girl was somewhat stubborn, eccentric in her tendencies and already had a tomboyish demeanour going for her. But that was were the similarities ended, and Aguri was quiet and unwilling to talk to strangers, quite the opposite of her old friend.

But when the similarities did shine through, Aguri reminded her so much of Kushina, that sometimes it hurt.

Biting her lip, Aoi straightened slightly before lifting Aguri onto her back as gently as possible, making a smile appear on her face as she did so. She would lecture her daughter about the over-use of the clan techniques later, but for now, there was something she needed to do.

"C'mon, I have something to give you, Aguri-chan."

.

* * *

Aguri flipped through a textbook that she had finished reading long ago, her eyes skimming through the passages, feeling extremely bored. Madara Uchiha, Hashirama Senju, she already read that before. She shifted to the side where it was more comfortable, and left the book face-down on the table beside her, before her hands strayed and picked up something else.

Staring blankly at the ear buds her mother had given her, she frowned as she examined them. They resembled what would have been headphones in her former world, only that she greatly doubted that they would produce music of any sort. They were black and generally more sleek, probably designed to be light-weight, easy-to-wear, and secure. Though Aguri had not found the need to wear them yet.

Initially, she had been confused about why Aoi had suddenly decided to give her the ear buds. As far as she knew, they were only given to those who mastered a Miyusawa clan jutsu and performed it in front of a guardian- which didn't happen. Aguri nearly had been practicing the technique all week but she had yet to show her mother the actual technique. Then it occurred to her that it might be customary to give the earbuds to those going to the Academy.

But somehow, Aguri was afraid to try the technique again. She didn't realize her hands were shaking until she stared at them.

The reason for her passing out yesterday was caused by exhaustion, and the reason for her hands to cease functioning was due to the over-exposure to electricity, along with the over-use of the lightning-styled technique. She had literally desensitized herself by performing the jutsu too many times- yesterday had been the final straw. She had surpassed the pressure her hands could withstand without getting injured. As for exhaustion, it had puzzled her at first, then she chastised herself for not realizing something so glaringly obvious. In her former life, she had often pulled all-nighters or returned to school for the whole day for choir practice, and she had run everyday which made her feel even more worn out then ever. She never once fainted all her life, having grown used to the tiring schedule.

This was just ridiculous.

Apparently, she had pushed past the limits a five-year old body could stand in six days, and knowing that _burned_. A long time ago, she prided her stamina and endurance and now to have reality slapped into her was demoralizing. This wasn't her body. This wasn't her.

Shaking her head, disappointment hit her. If she wished to gain back the stamina she had prided in her old life, she would have to start all over again from square one. Jogging everyday wasn't going to cut it if she couldn't even withstand a few days of intensive training without getting herself nearly killed.

Then, she looked to the calender in her room, and with a sickening lurch in her stomach, she realized that the Academy started tomorrow.

 _Tomorrow._

After being out for a day, the sudden date was suddenly pushed forward closer then ever, and she needed her space to breathe.

This wasn't like her old school. School meant students, lessons, growing up, and teachers.

She could taste the bile burning at the back of her throat, threatening to escape.

Aguri had always admired teachers. So much so that she wanted to be a teacher herself. But she never did get her degree. She never got to sign a teaching permit, or even interact with students. The idea of being a teacher in this universe was hilarious- because, no, in her old world, she wasn't trained to teach students how to wield weapons and how to evaluate the best way to assassinate a laughed in her face.

Her newfound fear of school was irrational, you could say. But going to school a year early meant that plans needed to be changed drastically. It meant dealing with the shit that came with being a kid and a student, it meant going through with the pressure of growing it, and it meant that yes, she has to start all over again, because now she is Aguri Fusako.

Her former life is irrelevant because it faded right along with her existence.

Her lips curled up blandly as she remembered meeting Sasuke a while ago, and making herself be brave enough to not back away from him, to open up around him, to become his friend. Somehow, she misses the courage she felt that day, because now, she certainly feels like a coward.

Eyeing the pineapple candy that was scattered in a pile on her desk, for a moment, she stared at it. Shifting forward, she found her arm reaching out for one, fingers curled like the claw in a claw machine, when suddenly-

 _Click._

Someone was shoved into the room, and Aguri's hand snapped back immediately, as if recoiling from a naked flame. The door shut with a click- and holy shit, did someone just lock the door from the outside?

Glancing towards the wooden ground, her eyes widened slightly as her mouth fell open. Her mind protested at the strangeness of the whole situation, and somehow, she managed to utter out.

"Shikamaru-kun?"

Staring unabashed at the unexpected intruder, Aguri rubbed her eyes as she wondered if training until she passed out had made her delirious, and now she was hallucinating. Maybe she had somehow eaten some magic mushrooms because this scene was so weird and coincidental that she couldn't believe it was actually happening.

Then she remembered something.

 _Oh, that's right. This is the Naruto universe- an anime universe. Everything weird that happens here is actually normal and not regarded as strange at all. Peace out._

The spiky-haired boy groaned as he rubbed the back of his head, as if he had came from another universe, and Aguri snickered inwardly at that thought.

"I was just at home taking a nap when suddenly Mom dragged me here."

Shikamaru complained as he yawned slightly, before forcing himself up and shuffling over, plopping down by the side of the bed on the floor. In response, Aguri lay back down on her bed and sighed at this weird situation that had already happened once, only with reversed roles. If this happens one more time, it would be too... cliché, regrettably.

"Any idea why?" She piped up, glancing at him.

"Other than talking to your mom, no." He supplied.

 _Coincidence? I think not._

She could tell that Shikamaru had been thinking along the same lines and swallowing slightly, she decided to break the (somewhat awkward) silence.

"Hey. You know, I don't have a 'Go' set here. What are we going to do?"

Shikamaru leaned against the side of the bed in response, and he remained quiet as if considering something. Aguri waited for him to speak again.

"You're going to the Academy."

It was neither a question nor a statement. Where Shikamaru had heard it from, she certainly hoped that the news that someone was going to the Academy early didn't go viral, and then she reminded herself that thankfully, Shikamaru had probably heard it from her mother.

"Yeah, you didn't hear wrongly." She responded, feeling a smile creep up on her face.

"Sounds like a drag. Mom wanted me to go too, but I would rather wait until it's actually my time to go." He stated.

Aguri beamed at him in appreciation.

"Heh, I absolutely agree. Why do you think clans even bother sending kids to school early? I'm quite sure it only inflates the ego of the clan if the kid manages to do well."

Shikamaru took her question in stride, shutting his eyes as he considered it. Aguri could almost nearly hear the gears spinning in his head in his silent contemplation.

"Well, for one thing, clans want their children to have a head start, for one thing, and sending children to the Academy could also be a way of sifting out the prodigies."

When Aguri thought of prodigies, she thought of Sasuke. But then she remembered that the Uchiha clan had already identified Itachi as a prodigy, and they did things differently-by seeing how fast a certain individual could master a fire-style jutsu. Other clans probably sent children to the Academy because it was easier to keep track of the children's process. But what was the point of sending her to the Academy earlier? She was the only Fusako in her generation, wasn't she?

Hang on, was Hajime a Fusako, or a Miyusawa? She couldn't remember if he was her cousin from her mother's side or her father's side.

 _Oops. I might have messed up his surname several times._

She certainly hoped that inter-clan marriage was out of date, because, holy shit, she was so not marrying Hajime. Aguri had no desire to marry in her past life and no desire to do so in this one, so she if she did marry someone in this life it won't be someone she was related to, no matter how distant. Gosh, she would rather stay alone forever than marry Hajime. How did she even reach this topic, anyway?

 _Oh yeah. 'Sifting out the prodigies'._

Aguri sighed, grey eyes glancing at the Nara nearby.

"I guess that's true. But wouldn't it be considered unreasonable? What if a child is unable to handle the training in the Academy?" She found herself echoing her own thoughts, and Shikamaru caught onto it immediately, his eyes snapping to hers.

"Well, the thing is, not many people enroll early. It might be considered unreasonable, but most parents would not enroll their kid unless they think that he or she is ready for it. That is, if the parents are not enrolling their children out of pride."

He looked at her, his brown eyes sending her a knowing glance.

Shikamaru Nara may be considered lazy, even when he wasn't as lazy as he would be in a few years, but honestly, Aguri liked talking to him a lot. It was refreshing to talk to someone who was perceptive and had insight, and she appreciated someone who would listen to her views and would share his own. They hadn't had the best of starts, but Shikamaru was one of the few that she trusted.

Aguri found herself beaming at him again.

"Heh, thanks, Shikamaru."

.

* * *

The liveliness present in the crowd honestly didn't fit the time of the day.

Aguri squeezed her mother's hand as she was led through the crowd.

Inwardly she groaned. Somehow, Aoi deemed that she was in a perfectly good state to attend school, after the afternoon with Shikamaru.

(Another thing she dreaded- waking up at six everyday for school.)

She had just picked out the most practical things she could find in her closet. Bandages wrapped around Aguri's recovering hands, and fingerless gloves (they were old and battered, but nonetheless comfortable) slotted neatly over the bandages because the gloves could probably protect her hands well. She wore her new ear buds- in function, they resembled hearing-aids from her old world, only that they protected her ears from noise and harmful frequencies rather than increase her hearing capacity. The ear buds' main function was to tone down her hearing ability greatly.

As a child, her hearing would not been greatly developed yet but as she grew older, her hearing would grow increasingly sensitive, even more sensitive then her hearing now, to the point that it was dangerous to go around without any sort of protection for her ears. The ear buds could be adjusted with chakra and they protected the ear drums, as well as toning down her hearing sensitivity so that it was only slightly above the average hearing ability of a five-year old, and Aguri shook her head slightly, not used to having her hearing muted out like this. However, the familiar feeling of ear buds reminded her of ear phones that she used to be so fond of wearing in her old world.

With a scowl, she noted how the bandages were itchy to the skin and gave a sigh as she apprehensively eyed the crowds of six-year olds swarming near the entrance of the Academy for orientation day.

School hadn't begun just yet, but Aguri was already wishing that she had just stayed home and slept.

Sighing, she experimentally flexed her fingers. Pressing her fingertips against each other carefully, she smiled dryly as she noted that more feeling had returned to her fingers- finally. Another few days would allow her hands to recover fully, assuming she laid off training until then. But Aguri was as anxious as ever to build up her stamina, because the other clan kids undoubtedly had a year more of training than she did.

A couple of kids ran past her, shrieking as they threw toy shuriken at each other, and Aguri winced as she reached up a hand to adjust her ear buds. Her mother smiled (in sympathy, no less) as she tugged Aguri towards the registration booth to complete the final procedures, in which Aguri's eyes scanned over the document containing her details with remarkable interest.

 _Name: Fusako Aguri_

 _Age as of registration: 5_

 _Date of birth: 20th April_

 _Class: 1A-_

The paper shifted as her mother signed against the paper and handed it back to the person behind the table. Aguri grinned. The thought of chunin-level ninja doing paperwork was amusing, regrettably.

Eyeing the obligatory orientation booklet, she quickly slid over and kept one for her own reference, despite the fact that her mother was already flipping through one. She rolled it so that it resembled a cylinder and sneaked it into her pocket, and at the same time took out a pineapple-flavored candy out and popped it into her mouth, slipping the wrapper back into her pocket.

The sweet-sour taste dissolved in her mouth and she took in a deep breath, resisting the urge to shrink into a ball behind her mother to escape from the other kids. Biting her lip, she shook her arms in a futile attempt to relieve tension from her stiff shoulders, but to no avail. Robotically, Aguri made her way next to her mother again, her eyes narrowed and trailing the ground.

This sucked.

She wanted to escape this so badly. In her sheer boredom, her eyes focused back on Aoi, and she briefly wondered if her mother was really as okay as she let on. Whatever had happened had remained a secret, but Aguri's gut feeling told her that it was something she definitely did not want to know.

Turning away, her mother turned to her and nudged her, and the weary look in her eyes made her worry.

"C'mon, Aguri-chan. I'll bring you to class."

Compliantly, she followed her mother to what seemed to one of the classrooms. Taking in a deep breath, her eyes scanned across the corridors and doors. The Academy had a rather complicated interior, possibly designed this way to confuse possible enemies, and students undoubtedly would have a hard time moving around. It was a smart move, allowing the students to slowly adapt to a foreign environment and letting them to learn how to recognize the place quickly.

Heh, complicated interior designs got her thinking of Harry Potter and friends getting lost in Hogwarts a billion times.

 _But I digress._

Her mother beamed at her, and her smile seemed a tad forced. Then, she nudged Aguri towards a door and walked away without a word, her footsteps echoing in the corridor.

Aguri nearly wanted her to stop walking away and offer her some form encouragement, something she could hold on to until the end of the day, but her mother didn't turn around, not even once.

As much as she understood that her mother was in a hurry, and obviously troubled, it didn't stop the bitter feeling of disappointment from seeping in.

So she pretended that it did not bother her, and turned away firmly towards the door. After all, it was so easy to pretend that everything was okay.

Aguri could hear the commotion all the way from outside- it ranged from laughter, to talking, and to screams.

Folding her fingers together, she shut her eyes and breathed, in an attempt to calm down. She remembered Shikamaru's words from yesterday, and made herself shift forward, using her shoulder to cautiously push open the door and silently slip inside the room.

The classroom was rather large at the front, possibly for technique demonstrations. A black board was placed at the front wall of the room and beside it hung several notices and posters, seemingly in an attempt to fill up the blank walls. A small sort of elevated platform was in front as well, where the teacher would probably stand on. The tables and benches were each long enough for three people to sit at, and they were placed in three sections of the room, with two small walkways in between.

The high ceiling and the spaciousness would normally give off a peaceful feel, if it wasn't for the kids presents.

 _Yes, the kids._

Because the classrooms of six-year olds were the epitome of chaos.

She sent a glance around the room, stopping when her eyes focused on chocolate brown hair and inwardly, she blanched. So they were in the same class. Somehow, the brat had already rounded up his own gang, and Aguri attempted to blend in with the others to hide herself, but to no avail as the said brat turned around, his brown eyes landing on her.

Hajime's mouth fell open, but thankfully, he didn't do something idiotic like yell at her. However, he did shoot damn daggers at her with his eyes, with the sour expression of a kid who got his chocolate stolen. Aguri glared back, her expression hardening like a teacher telling a student off.

The brat turned back to his group of hooligans, and the corners of her lips lifted shrewdly.

Aguri shuffled to a seat in the front row, moving over to the seat next to the window, looking out of it at the sky as she sighed and moved a hand to adjust her earbuds. As time ticked by, majority of the class saw the common sense to sit down and wait for their homeroom teacher and slowly, they filled up the seats one by one. Turning around, her eyes scanned over the rows of the classroom, inwardly cheering in relief upon spotting Hajime sitting at the back row. Then her eyes glanced at the people in her row, and she very nearly choked.

Next to her sat a boy with large round eyes and bushy eyebrows, with bangs parted to the sides of his face and slightly long black hair. The empty seat beside the boy was taken up by a boy with white featureless eyes, with the slightest lavender tint to them and long black hair secured several inches from its end. A black headband covered his forehead, and Aguri would have found him adorable if it wasn't for the severe expression on his face. Located at the row behind them, a girl with her hair kept in two buns sat attentively, and Aguri gulped, her eyes closing.

 _Lee, Neji and Tenten._

Fate brought Team Gai closer to each other than imagined. Aguri wondered if she should feel intimidated for simply being part of the scenery, but it was not logical, because they were not a team yet. Their choice of seats had to be either completely coincidental or it was the universe simply just screwing with her mind, and laughing at her for getting jumpy over every single thing.

Plan A- namely avoiding the important characters, never did seem to work out, after all.

 _Damn you, universe._

 _._

* * *

 **Answer: I see Aguri spilling milk in Sasuke's hair, and Sasuke will get pissed at her xD**

 **Question: What character relationships do you think will happen now that Aguri is in the same class as Neji, Lee, Tenten, and Hajime?**

* * *

 **See you!**

 **-Cyan Rubies**


	10. School

**Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, I would't be writing this fanfiction, honestly xD But Aguri and my other OCs are my precious babies.**

 **Warnings: Slight angst, lame humor (Aguri style), SCHOOL, Neji, Hajime, and clingy little shits.**

* * *

 **Hope you enjoy this chapter of Never Too Late. I will probably be tweaking a few things around like the description of the story and adding warnings. But thank you all for the reviews, favorites, and follows! *bows***

 **I also changed the genre from Hurt/Comfort/Angst to Angst/Family, and while there is humor, angst is still a major part of the story?**

 **And here's the special thanks to my reviewers, I'll be responding to you all by PM as usual, but I'll respond to guest reviewers here!**

 **Cookies go to: _ SupremeGeneralJoker, Guest, Realword no Shinobi and Lumiax!_**

 **Guest: Heh, I'm glad you love her :3**

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

* * *

.

Another thing that sucked about school- the introductions on the first day that everyone seemed to judge you by.

Aguri had cringe-worthy memories of introductions.

(But of course, her old name was a mystery.)

Watching the laughter of the surrounding children made a wave a nostalgia wash over her. She remembered being isolated from other children when she first started school because she just came off as unfriendly. Aguri had always been the type of person who looked pissed off at something if she didn't smile, and it wasn't something she was very glad of, and this subsequently led her to keep smiling even if she didn't feel like it. Chubby features and a soft, high-pitched voice made her seem 'cute', as the others liked to say last time, but she had come to despise being called that word, because that had been the only reason anyone talked to her. No one had truly wanted to know her for _her,_ and the revelation struck her when everybody she knew only used 'cute' to describe her.

Introductions were terrifying, only because first-impressions were terrifying.

Should you smile? If so, a wide one or a more gentle one? How loudly should you speak? Should you look down or up? How fast should you speak?

Damn children and their first-impressions. Aguri was not going to suffer humiliation because she choked on her name, because her pride wouldn't allow it. Biting her lip, she watched anxiously as the homeroom teacher walked in, and her eyes hardened at the sight of light blue hair.

Mizuki, eh?

She focused on him, making sure to keep her expression neutral. Did this current Mizuki hate Naruto? Was this Mizuki, seven years before Naruto graduated, a manipulative bastard? What was his background story again?

That was right- he killed one of his own teammates after turning chūnin, and his application to be an intructor at the Academy was denied, and he was overwhelmed by hatred even though he eventually got the job. He was also apparent childhood friends with Iruka, but in the end even that friendship had turned sour. He ended up getting swallowed up by the ugly thing known as jealousy, and began to use Iruka for popularity.

Yeah. That was about it.

The man turned towards her, and she glanced down at her hands. If there was one thing she was good at, it was acting. Not that acting that got you famous on the big stage- acting in everyday life, hiding your hate for someone, acting like a normal student would, it was what she called 'acting for real-world survival'.

The things you had to introduce about yourself was basically just your name and your ambitions for the future. She swallowed, but nevertheless considered his guiding points for the introductions.

The dreaded introductions began, and much to her horror, it began on her side. And she was sitting in the front row. As if on cue, heads turned her direction and looked at her expectantly, and the silence grew heavier with every passing second.

 _Nonononononono._

Aguri sat there for a few more moments, and Mizuki gestured at her expectantly. Her eyes searched the faces of her classmates, and a smile from Lee, who seemed to understand her pain to an extent, was the push she needed.

She slowly stood up, taking a deep breath shakily as her fingers curled slowly upon the tabletop. Aguri was suddenly aware that she was staring at the ground, and in retaliation she swallowed and forced herself to look up, because evil six-year olds were capable of detecting any forms of weakness and smelling fear.

(Alas, she was just kidding. But the joke didn't make her feel any better, this time.)

So Aguri did what was easiest to do. She made herself smile, and as much as it felt fake and forced she knew that the six year-olds would buy it.

"Good morning. My name is Fusako Aguri. I wish to grow up to be a strong kunoichi." Her words rang out more confidently than she meant it to, but otherwise, she seemed like the average little kid with foolish dreams for the future.

 _Strong kunoichi? More like 'Stay alive as long as possible and avoid dying a ridiculous death'._

Sitting back down quietly, her throat still feeling unpleasantly dry, she shut her eyes and rubbed her arms, taking a calming breath, trying to block out the numerous stares boring into her back, as if willing her to expose all her deepest, darkest secrets.

 _'C'mon, think positive,'_ A voice encouraged her and she swallowed, shaking her head to clear up the messed up, foggy thoughts.

But on the other hand, her introduction was generic and typical (aka, boring.)

No one would think of bothering her, and at that she managed a smile, before turning around to watch Lee silently.

Lee stood up from his seat raptly as his eyes furrowed in concentration as he loudly proclaimed.

"My name is Lee, and I'll be a great ninja even if I can't use chakra!"

Aguri smiled at him. Lee... was her polar opposite, but nevertheless she admired his determination, because she knew he was cut out for many great things in the future. But then she remembered that they were in a classroom, and her mouth parted in horror.

 _Shit._

 _No._

 _NO._

 _You shouldn't have said that!_

A string of rather colorful swear words flew through her head and her fists tightened on instinct. This wasn't good.

This wasn't good _at all._

With Lee's last sentence, everyone else had suddenly turned their attention upon him. The hairs that stood on end told her that the sudden attention Lee got was in no way positive, and her eyes narrowed at the sneer forming on Hajime's face. Whispers began to broke out, and Aguri was pained to see Lee already being looked at with scorn, an expression that shouldn't even exist on the faces of six year-olds.

Turning to look at Neji's introduction, she noted the cold glance he sent Lee. Arrogance, a lack of empathy, and a general cold attitude towards children his own age- Neji had already lost his father.

Aguri's heart churned unpleasantly at the cold, hard look that shouldn't be present of the eyes of a six-year old, and she feared that one day, she would see the same expression on Sasuke.

"I am Hyuuga Neji. I do not feel the need to tell you my ambitions of the future." The Hyuuga spoke, his tone clipped as he sat back down primly, sending his unnerving gaze back towards Lee, as if he wanted to push his beliefs of destiny on him.

He might as well had snapped his fingers in a 'z' formation with that level of sass he possessed. Aguri nearly chortled at the mental image but she knew better than to laugh at the great Neji Hyuuga, lest he kicked her lowly ass into oblivion.

Heh.

Fifteen minutes later, it's Hajime's turn.

"I am Miyusawa Hajime, and I will be a powerful shinobi in the future." The brat proclaimed as he glanced towards the class with a slight cockiness to the curl to his lips. Aguri could hear the sound of Cupid's arrow striking a bull's eye into the hearts of the many girls in the class at that smirk. Maybe even some guys. But she wouldn't know, because she couldn't read minds and honestly, she didn't want to look at her new class.

On a cheerful note, introductions ended five doodles on the desk later, meaning that lessons could finally start.

But lessons didn't start.

Mizuki began to give a speech about the Will of Fire, and how it should be carried in everybody as the future shinobi of Konoha. Maybe it would have been inspiring, but it was hard to digest when Mizuki was the one telling them about it, and she inwardly blanched at the irony of how someone who would betray Konoha in the future was talking to them about the Will of Fire.

She breathed in, and forced an attentive look on her face, as she faced the front.

For once, Aguri actually wanted the lessons to start already.

"On to the next part of the orientation programme, we will now be playing bonding games outside. So head out, everybody!" A smile appeared on Mizuki's face and she nearly blanched at the ominous words.

 _Bonding games + competitive ninja kids= hell_

Someone should make her a mathematician already, because as much as she despised mathematics, it was better than what she predicted to be a catfight between ninja kids.

Damn it.

.

* * *

Aguri stopped, attempting to catch her breath as she climbed onto a nearby tree, breathing heavily as she crouched down. Her hand flew to one of her ear buds as she adjusted it to her normal level of hearing.

The footsteps ran past, and her breath caught in her throat as she heard a whole bunch of kids run past her and to the normal training ground, undoubtedly all catchers.

Holy shit, ninja kids were intense.

They were currently in a game of tag, but only that you needed to hide from the catcher. Once you were caught, both the old and the new catchers would proceed to search for more people to tag. When you are caught, you were caught, and that's it. There was no way to reverse it, and if your luck is bad enough to earn you the position being the first catcher, so be it, you had to catch someone with your skills. The last one standing would be the winner. It was basically just survival of the fittest.

Fifteen minutes and thirty-three seconds, as of the time she narrowly escaped the crowd of catchers. Not even twenty minutes, and the majority of the class had already been caught or cornered.

Even what Mizuki called 'bonding games' was really just a way to gauge their abilities, to pick out the cream of the crop, the best student of the clans. He was pitting children who hardly knew each other against each other, even if no one else realized that this was a measure of worth disguised as a harmless games.

She didn't think the Academy's system was messed up, but the teachers were the ones who planned orientation for their individual classes. So the only messed-up individual here at the Academy was Mizuki.

A part of her questioned why she was taking this so seriously, but honestly, she wouldn't forgive herself for losing to a bunch of kids a game that she had played since _forever._ Not to mention, staying the average student was not really worth broken pride.

She really should start focusing again.

Aguri stiffened as she felt someone pass by underneath the tree again, and she held her breath. The person was walking towards the tree she was hiding in, and she didn't dare to move when she realized that the person had stopped... and was beginning to climb.

 _Shit._

She stealthily edged to edge of the branch, hands fumbling along the branch as a support, and paranoia overtook her as she realized that she was still well-concealed by leaves. Her breathing grew increasingly frantic as she forced herself to remain calm, glancing behind as she prepared to jump off and make a run for another hiding spot.

(But seriously, there was at least six trees in the campus, and this guy just had to pick this tree?)

A figure crawled onto the branch, and Aguri took in black, braided hair and... eyebrows. Bushy, distracting eyebrows.

Lee stared at her from across the branch and she stared back, grey eyes growing apprehensive. She growled when he took a step forward.

"Take another step and I'm gonna shock you." Her voice came out more like a squeak, and she shrieked at her own inability to make a threat properly.

...And of course, she meant it literally. Not figuratively.

Lee stayed put, thankfully, his round eyes focused on her, as if wondering why she would be afraid of him.

"Don't be scared, Aguri-san. I haven't been caught yet." He hesitantly held up both of his hands in a peace gesture and she relaxed immediately, because from what she has observed about him, Lee wasn't a liar.

Caught by a loss of words to say, Aguri wondered what she was supposed to do when stuck up on a tree branch with someone who was practically a stranger. She opened her mouth, closed it, and tried to talk again. Inwardly, she cursed at her inability to start a conversation properly and she clenched her fist, or at least tried to.

Lee broke the silence first.

"Do you want to team up?"

Aguri shifted uncomfortably and she swallowed as she considered the offer. Working together didn't seem like a bad idea at all, especially since she recalled Kakashi drilling them on the importance of teamwork. It wasn't a bad offer at all, and Aguri wondered if he could somehow make this game work out in Lee's favor.

After all, he was probably on the hit-list of the class. The little bastards would want catch Lee, undoubtedly to rub it in his face that they could use chakra well and he couldn't.

"Okay then." She agreed after some silent musing.

Aguri winced at the overly-bright grin that appeared on Lee's face and watched the slight twitchiness in his shoulders that suggested that he was a tad too eager to be working with someone else.

She sighed.

And nearly had a heart attack when Lee vaulted off the branch and ran off by himself.

"Shit." A swear escaped her mouth, but she honestly didn't care if Mizuki heard her somehow. Pardon her if any wandering six-year olds had got corrupted by a swear word.

Jumping off the branch and landing less-than-gracefully on the ground, Aguri stumbled after Lee and chased after him, wondering what he was up to.

Light filtered in slowly, shining through the gaps of the leaves, and Aguri realized that they were approaching a clearing- and a few more moments of running brought them back to the training grounds.

Where, unfortunately, most of the rabid six-year olds where located at and hungry for people to catch. At the sight of two newcomers, they surged forward in unison like damn zombies in a zombie apocalypse.

Then Aguri realized that they were headed towards Lee, because naturally they assumed that Aguri had been caught and was trying to tag Lee.

Damn it. Lee was fast from what she had seen so far, but even he couldn't outrun so many people on his own. Scanning around, she looked for other people who could be targeted, when she spotted Hajime standing at a nearby tree, watching on smugly as no one spared him a glance.

How no one had not noticed him when his hiding spot was so bloody obvious, she didn't know, but she guessed that it was possible that he had been drawn out by the commotion.

She touched the ground, sending out small shockwaves that made her arm stiffen in pain, but she ignored it. The signal returned after transmitting through the ground, revealing that there was exactly 38 students, including Lee and herself at the grounds. There was 40 students in total, which meant that there was only two other students left.

An idea popped up in her mind, and she marvelled at how utterly _ridiculous_ it was. But somehow was actually okay with doing something stupid when she noticed how close Lee was to getting caught.

 _Well. It's now or never._

Running forward, she breathed and let out a yell.

"Catch me if you can~" It was an overused phrase, but Aguri wasn't really picky about what she said, because the good ol' taunt seemed to be working extremely well.

The crowd effectively stopped, their minds seeming to have alarms that began to scream ' _Is that a challenge I hear?!'_. And slowly, they turned towards her, confusion evident in their expressions. Then manic grins appeared on their faces and they were suddenly headed towards her, and Aguri could only panic as she realized that children were friggin' _creepy_.

So much for avoiding attention.

She turned and ran.

Gulping and bolting away, she pumped her chakra to her feet, feeling small sparks in her wake as she made her way nimbly to where Hajime was, with the crowd of children at her heels. She grinned- after all, you might as well eliminate two birds with one stone, and in this case, she was both the stone and a bird.

Heh.

Hajime's brown eyes widened outrageously as realization seemed to strike him. In his panic, he fell off the tree and Aguri snickered inwardly as she heard his protest as he was suddenly tagged by an unsuspecting catcher. Glancing across the grounds, she was satisfied to see Lee nowhere in sight, and mentally she hoped that he would catch on to her plan and stay hidden.

She looked around, wondering if there was anyone else she could bring down with her. Further away she spotted a lone figure flitting from tree to tree, and she recognized him from his long dark hair.

Perfect.

A sudden whoosh of air by her right told her that someone had caught up and was trying to tag her, and nimbly she dodged to the side. Her ears tingled at the numerous noise behind her and her legs were burning from the effort.

Aguri ran towards the trees, pulsing a small stream of chakra through the ground and willing it to tell her if Neji Hyuuga was currently on the ground, when she heard the slightest rustle of leaves above her. Her hands flew to her earbuds as she tugged them off, securing it around the collar of her shirt as faintly she could pick up the sound of light footsteps on bark.

Immediately, she climbed the tree and hopped onto the branch, breathing heavily. The footsteps underneath the branch told her that yes, the tree was surrounded by the manic zombi- kid crowd that had caught up with her.

Glancing over, she breathed in relief as the person on the branch was indeed Neji, and not by some miracle Lee. She walked over, because any sense of awkwardness was burned out by the adrenaline and her exhaustion.

The said Hyuuga shot her a hard glare through his pale eyes, as if aware that she had planned this all along, and judging from his expression, he didn't appreciate being cornered all that much.

"Hello, Hyuuga-san."

Neji's expression was blank as he focused on her, remaining calm despite his position being sabotaged by her. Aguri was grateful that Neji was seemingly a calm person by nature- anyone else would have screamed at her for discarding their chance to win.

"You did this on purpose." He accused.

Honestly, she was impressed. Most other children would assume that ot was by chance that their position was ruined. But Neji had undoubtedly deduced that she had been about to go after him explaining his shift of position.

Aguri smiled. It felt natural, but at the same time it felt fake.

"Sorry about that." She apologized softly, but really, she didn't feel all that remorseful about bringing them down together.

Neji narrowed his eyes at her, and the smile remained plastered on her face.

"You don't mean that." He spoke, and his eyes easily could have seared a hole through her in a sort of silent fury.

Her eyes shut and a sigh escaped her lips. She was well aware that Neji, much like her lovely little shit Sasuke, was what they dubbed a 'genius'. Not to mention, he had excellent perceptive skills that involved all sorts of body language. She swallowed, because the thought of someone she doesn't know being able to read her like a book freaked her out, but she wasn't going to let it show.

"I want to mean it." Aguri explained in what she hoped was a helpful tone, and the Hyuuga narrowed his eyes even further.

A cheer from below told her that someone was attempting to scale up the tree, and she could feel Neji looking around for possible escape routes, to no avail. Like her, he resigned himself to his fate... or maybe he had already resigned himself to his fate long ago, and had given up on fighting his way out, because maybe he thought that it was his destiny to lose because of an innocent girl who sabotaged his position.

And of course, she meant that as a joke, because she was sure Neji Hyuuga was as lovable as someone like Naruto or Shikamaru, underneath his stony exterior.

(Heh, that would make him a tsundere, right?)

A creak on the branch told her that someone had come, and Aguri looked back to find Tenten smiling at them triumphantly as she walked over, balancing carefully on the branch, before she made her way over, tapping them both on their shoulders.

Game over.

In a flash, Mizuki's voice rang out clearly as he instructed everyone to make their way back to the training grounds, and Aguri groaned at having to walk all the way back. She was, however extremely pleased to see that Lee was standing by Mizuki, meaning that he had been the last one standing, and therefore, the winner of the game. The glances he received were both looks of disbelief and astonishment, but Aguri smiled. Today, Lee had proven that he could win even when the other students considered him to be weaker than them.

Lee suddenly turned towards Aguri... and his eyes turned watery all of a sudden.

There was an unexpected weight that slapped the air out of her lungs and she wheezed, and oblivious that he was choking her, Lee continued to glomp her, his tears flowing down his face in rivers. She shifted around uncomfortably and awkwardly pushed against him as she attempted to get him to stop choking her already, dismayed at the blatant invasion of her personal space.

How does one even reject a hug, anyway?

"AGURI-SAN! HOW HONORABLE OF YOU!" His voice rang out loudly and she winced as the sound was magnified several times by her ears. She recoiled, flinching as she quickly tucked her earbuds back into her ears, groaning at the inevitable headache that was going to come.

His touched sobs increased and her face was lit red. As she shifted around in her feet, feeling extremely edgy from the stares they were getting, she looked around with a ' _Save me!'_ expression. And the kids in her class, being ever helpful, simply gawked and snickered at the scene.

She attempted to carefully pry himself off of her, to no avail as he simply clung onto her tighter, his tears flowing faster than ever.

 _What have I gotten myself into?_

Lee finally got himself off her, looking at her with teary eyes, his expression clearly saying ' _I'm going to be your friend forever!'_.

The urge to stick herself into a pit grew strong.

.

* * *

Aguri stared into the mirror blankly- running her fingers through the thick, knotted mess.

Something in her recoiled at the sight of grey eyes and ash-brown hair. Her fingers run over the cool surface as if she was touching water, and eyes examined her appearance- a face that belonged to her but at the same time didn't, a body that resembled her old one but somehow was different, fingers that were long and nimble and definitely weren't the short, stubby ones she used to play the piano all her life with.

It almost feels like something is in her mind- telling her to cover the mirror, and somehow get a sense of familiarity.

Aguri complied, carelessly flinging a blanket over her small mirror and her fingers fishing out a pineapple-flavored candy. She teared open the wrapper, popping the sweet in her mouth, and it began to dissolve in a familiar flurry of sweet-and-sour.

The room was dark, with shadows hanging around the corners, not that she minded, anyway.

Shutting the door behind her, she walked through the house alone, wondering where Aoi was. When she went downstairs, Aguri opened the refrigerator, only to see that the dinner that she had made for her mother yesterday night had remained untouched in the fridge. The note that she stuck on the dining table had been untouched, too. Aoi didn't even come home yesterday.

Her actions were robotic as she began her daily routine full of needless habits- wiping the tabletops, spinning a kunai around her finger, watering the plants outside even though it rained yesterday, and tapping her fingers against the tabletop, as if she still had a piano. Then her actions jolted to a stop, and her practical side sinked back in, and made her go and heat up the untouched dinner from yesterday and pack it in a bento box.

She got out a loaf of bread, wrapping it in plastic before she set it on the table, in case her mother decided to come back for breakfast.

 _Gone for a week, and not even a note this time._

It made her wonder how much her mother cared.

Maybe she had hoped too much, wanting Aoi to stay by her side everyday and eat their meals together, wanting her to tell her that everything was going to be alright, and that she just needed to do her best in school. Maybe she had deluded herself into thinking that Aoi actually cared enough to tell her what was going on.

Mom had coal-black hair with a slight curl to the ends, just like her old hair. She had lines around her eyes, a stern look to her, but a surprisingly motherly side to her. Mom made breakfast and dinner everyday for their family, and taught her to care about others. Mom walked her to school everyday as a young child, and sometimes, when it rained, Mom always came to fetch her, stocked up with an extra umbrella and raincoat.

Mom used to ruffle her hair all the time, and smile at her with tired eyes.

Aoi smiled at her emptily, like she was a mistake.

At one point in time, Aoi had the same look that Mom had- loving and fond, with just a hint of pride. But she was wrong. As day after day passed, Aguri realized that thinking that Aoi resembled her Mom at all had just been a mistake.

Aoi would be known as Aoi or Mother, but Aguri won't ever think of her as her 'Mom'.

The front door shut, and the house was empty once more.

.

* * *

Lessons were all in all nearly the same as lessons from her old world- long, draggy, and boring. Especially when Mizuki was mostly the person doing the teaching, Aguri felt even less inclined to pay attention.

It was currently history- all the things revolving around Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju that she had already read from her lovely book at home.

She sighed, unimpressed at how Mizuki was reading the textbook out word for word. Why was he even a teacher? Hell, even someone like Neji could teach if all you were going to do was read from the damn textbook.

Beside her, Lee was sitting up in rapt attention, his expression focused and the same could be said for the rest of the class, namely Neji, Tenten, and surprisingly enough, Hajime. However, directly behind her, a boy slept, unruly dark hair sticking out in random directions and a pair of black-rimmed glasses sitting on the table in front of him. Aguri was surprised at how obvious he was being. It was a surprise that Mizuki had not already-

 _Thwack._

A stub of white chalk flew from Mizuki's hand and hit the boy square on his head, and the boy jolted up with a start. It fell sadly to the ground but it did its job.

"I'm sorry, sensei! I won't do it again, sensei!" The boy half-exclaimed as he grabbed his glasses and put them back on, before sitting up and turning his direction towards Mizuki.

Mizuki's face flashed in annoyance and he turned away, continuing his lesson. Aguri watched in vague interest as the boy's head rested on his palm for a few minutes, a small white powdery mark on his forehead, before beginning to steadily dip up and down, as if he was struggling to stay awake.

With a small smack, his head promptly landing on the table as he began to softly snore, and his glasses slid off.

 _I like him_ , she decided.

"Fumihito!" The boy sat up with a start again, nearly almost sending his glasses flinging into the air. Mizuki rounded on him, and Aguri was inwardly amused that Mizuki was a lot less patient than he let on.

"Yes sensei!"

"Go stand at the back." The irritation flashing through Mizuki's face was crystal clear and his expression darkened, his kind facade almost gone completely. Maybe he had already been in a bad mood that day, because he had never called upon the boy Fumihito(?) before. And for a fact, Aguri knew that there was three kinds of sleepers- those who never slept, those who sleep because they are tired or sick, and those who were consistent sleepers.

Looks like the boy was one of the latter, given how much he had grated on Mizuki's nerves.

The boy grinned toothily as he stood up and squeezed his way to the back, and Aguri could have sworn that he was dozing off even while standing. His glasses were even sliding off as he slept.

Mizuki had nothing more to say, and he even made an effort to not look at the back of the class after that.

Unfortunately, that had been one of the highlights of lessons in a while, and another few days passed with her feeling inexplicably bored.

Physical education classes were somewhat enjoyable, but today they were to begin on chakra control classes instead. Other classes, such as history, weapon theory, and math, were rather straightforward, but she was surprised that six-year olds were learning the content of what she had learnt when she was nine. Seriously, why the heck were six-year olds learning physics? Inwardly, she shuddered, because Aguri had never been a math person. (If such a term existed).

Over the past two weeks, there have been three surprise quizzes, and Neji Hyuuga was consistently at the top for all three tests. On the other hand, Aguri never did all that well- she wasn't bad, but she wasn't good, either. (She was proud that she actually managed to pull off her 'average student' appearance after that little stunt on her first day in school.)

However, disguise or not, Aguri had to admit that constant proud looks that Neji sent her were pretty much annoying- especially after they got back test scores. On several occasions, Neji even left his test paper on his desk during break, flaunting a perfect 99, and she was sure that he was doing it to demonstrate superiority.

Sighing, she slumped back in her seat and faced the front, ignoring the gaze burning into the side of her head from two seats away.

To her slight delight, Mizuki had been unable to come teach the class that day, and nearly let out a cheer as she saw the teacher that was filling in.

 _Iruka-sensei._

Granted, this Iruka still held resentment towards Naruto, but it was nice to have someone other than Mizuki in their class for once. Honestly, it have been so long ever since a teacher with a decent heart actually stepped into their classroom.

Iruka walked forward, turning to face the class as he set down a box of what seemed to be... leaves?

 _Ah. I see. It's chakra control exercise number one._

Briefly, Iruka began to hand out the leaves, three for each person, and he explained the whole chakra control exercise to the class. It was practically like her stick-grass-on-her-face exercise that she had been practicing since so long ago, only that leaves were bigger and size and she probably had to re-estimate the amount of chakra it would take to get it to stick. Since Lee had deformed chakra coils, it would possibly be harder for him to control his chakra.

Lee's deformed chakra coils didn't seem to mean that he was completely unable to use chakra, because Aguri was certain that he would use chakra to strengthen his taijutsu technique and that he just couldn't mould chakra to perform jutsu or genjutsu. At least, that was her own hypothesis, because there was a lot of things she didn't know about Lee.

Aguri's eyes narrowed as Neji immediately got the leaf to stick on the side of his head, and childishly, she stuck all of her three leaves on her head at once, focusing on distributing her chakra across the three leaves. The leaves stuck firmly like superglue, and a smile appeared triumphantly as Neji was having trouble with his third leaf, and she was made aware by his glare that yes, he knew that she was making this a contest, and he absolutely _refused_ to lose.

Ignoring him for now, she instead looked at Lee, who was still trying to get his first leaf to stick longer, offering small little tips to hep him to get his leaf to stick for at least ten minutes. By the end of the first thirty minutes, all of her leaves remained on her face, and Lee had managed to get one leaf to stick for a long time and was currently trying to get his second leaf to stick longer.

Neji managed to get a third leaf to stick on his head, and for some reason he turned slightly, his stony expression looking just a tinge annoyed when he saw that she was asking Iruka for another leaf that she could stick on her forehead. His pensive gaze remained as he watched her press the leaf to her head. It stuck firmly, with no signs that it was going to tear or fall.

Apparently, her success was pissing him off, and her lips curled at the ends. Slowly turning away, his expression hardened and he promptly raised his hand and requested for another leaf.

 _Bring it on, bro._

Somehow, it had become a contest between the two of them, and Aguri grinned when she won with a grand total of eight leaves and Neji stuck on his fifth leaf. She stopped the competition once the bell rang, because if she had reached ten leaves it would seem a little too suspicious.

Heh, it was a childish competition, because it was hard to hold back on things that required precise control (like controlling chakra) and chakra control was presumably not one of Neji's strong points, as she had always thought him to be the close combat specialist, it was satisfying to show up him at least this once.

(Thank goodness that proper taijutsu spars wouldn't begin until the end of the month.)

Neji had this sour expression that didn't lift until it break, in which he got up and left for lunch without another word, a few girls trailing after him, looking quite lovestruck.

Aguri blanched, and clapped her hands over her mouth at the strangely-hilarious sight. Following Neji, Hajime walked out of class, being followed by a band of both boys and girls, and she nearly choked. Her cousin sent her a smug look as he turned and marched out of class.

Her eyes hardened in a glower and she turned away from him, her gaze flitting back to Lee, before landing on the boy who had been reprimanded by Mizuki the other day. The said boy was currently just waking up from a nap, and Aguri looked between them, swallowing nervously as her eyes darted from their faces to the (rather dusty) floor below.

"Want to go for lunch?"

...Holy shit, she actually initiated something without stuttering or babbling or making a fool of herself.

Lee nodded eagerly, a small lunch box in his hand and a grin on his face. Meanwhile, the boy seated behind him looked at her in mild surprise, as if questioning if she had addressed him. She dragged her gaze from the floor and forced herself to look him in the eye as she waited for a reply.

Wordlessly, he jerked his head and began to make his way out of class. Aguri and Lee followed after him.

She breathed.

"I never caught your name," she felt herself say.

"Me too." The boy in front of them replied. He paused for a moment, as if he wanted to say something, but he stopped himself, almost like he had changed his mind. Dark eyes examined both of them in what seemed to be curiosity.

"Do tell." He finally said after a while, humor lacing its way through his voice and Aguri smiled dryly at the snarky grin on his face

"This is Rock Lee-san. I'm Fusako Aguri."

They stopped at spot just outside the school, under a small and shady tree that Aguri recognized as the one she hid in during orientation. He turned around.

"I'm Fumihito Daisuke." The boy grinned and gave them a playful salute, his dark hair seeming to stick out more than ever.

He sat down and pulled out his bento box, before unwrapping his chopsticks and clapping his hands together. Lee and Aguri mimicked his actions, and their voices echoed together briefly.

"Thanks for the meal."

Other than the occasional joke from Daisuke, it was rather quiet, considering that Lee was known to be loud. But the only other noise really present was Lee chowing down on his food, because Aguri didn't like to talk when she was eating.

Nevertheless, it wasn't an uncomfortable silence at all, and hummed contently. The only thing after lunch was weapon theory, and the periods after the lunch were always the most sleepy.

No, she didn't sleep, but it was amusing to watch almost everyone else lose their vigor after a heavy lunch.

.

When Aguri walked home that day, she certainly didn't expect an ambush.

A flash of golden-yellow pounced on her and she promptly let herself get tied up and dumped onto the nearest tree. Looking up, her eyes met with blue ones, and she could just make out black hair some metres away.

"Naruto-kun, what are you doing?" She sighed softly, shaking her head as she played along, pretending to try and break free from the ropes her hands were bound in.

Naruto stood in front of her, his blue eyes wide and his lower lip jutting out in a pout.

"You haven't played with us for so long, Aguri-chan!"

Behind Naruto, ducked beside a tree, she visibly saw a flinch on a certain black-haired boy's face at the blatant slip-up by the young boy.

"You do know that I talked to you guys two days ago. And I called you yesterday, too." She deadpanned, deciding not to humor them too much. But seriously, should she feel amused? Guilty? Exasperated?

Naruto pouted as he murmured in response.

"It's not the same! You haven't played anything with me and Sasuke for so long, 'ttebayo." He whined softly... and he almost seemed like a sad kitten.

Aguri fell silent, trying to not look at Naruto's guilt-inducing eyes and she instead focused on the little shit a few metres away.

Damn her weakness for all things cute.

Looking at the suspiscious manner the Uchiha currently behaved in, it was quite clear who sent Naruto to 'trap' her. She highly doubted that Naruto had even considered tying her up at first, but Sasuke had probably noticed that he had quite a talent for being stealthy and carrying out pranks and therefore, everything mainly associated with types of pranks- ropes, water balloons, paint, camouflage fabric, etc.

It was quite clear who sneaked this idea into Naruto's head.

"Hey, I'm sorry. If you want I'll play with you right now." She bowed her head.

Both yellow and black heads perked up, and as if on cue, Sasuke poked out from the bushes, wide black eyes staring at her, a bold smile on his face that was plainly screaming " _Mission complete!_ "

"I never said that I would play with you though, Sasuke _-kun_." Sasuke flinched and sent her a look with wounded wide eyes.

 _It's the eyes._

Her eyes shut and her hands shot out in surrender. "Fine, fine! I'll play with you!"

The wounded-puppy look melted away in a flash, only to be replaced with a cheeky bold grin. Sasuke ran up to her and casually slung an arm over her shoulders, snickering at the pout that formed on her face.

She grumbled. "Shut up, Sasuke."

When Naruto eagerly untied the ropes and began to lead the way to the park, a skip in his step, Aguri smiled, and her eyes landed on Sasuke, who had insisted on hanging around her, sticking unusually closer to her than usual. She could feel him looming right behind her, and she had no idea if she should consider the gesture sweet or not.

Damn, the little shit was possessive, and unimaginably clingy. But Sasuke will be Sasuke, in the way he would always manage to pull off being a sweet little shit.

...That did not make sense.

Her lips curled as she messed up his hair, and grey eyes looked rather bemused. Sasuke's eyes widened, and his cheeks turned pink and he looked away, seemingly in embarrassment. Grabbing her hand away from his head, he gripped onto it tightly as he began to run after Naruto, the color in his face growing brighter by the second.

Her grip on his hand tightened, and Aguri laughed. Deep inside, someone laughed along with her.

.

* * *

 **TBC**

* * *

 **Answer: Heh, I'm not going to tell, but your guesses were pretty much on point.**

 **Question: Anime(s) you watched that made you cry from feels?**

 **.**

 **See you!**

 **-Cyan Rubies**


	11. Cliché

**Disclaimer: I (sadly) do not own Naruto. Aguri and other OCs are mine.**

 **A/N: 8613 words :)**

 **And finally, I'm done editing this chapter. I'm really sorry for how late this is. I got a bad case of stomach-illness and it's terrible. It's hurting all the time after meals :/ I was also really unhappy with this chapter in general, and I'm sorry if Aguri or any other characters are OOC.**

 **Thank you to: Guest, Le otaku, Guest, xArteh, Guest, lizy2000, Lumiax, SupremeGeneralJoker, Roseoptic, Guest, Guest and lilnudger82for your awesome reviews! *hands over cookies***

 **And to be honest, I'm not sure how to reply to guest reviews, so I'll reply to those who are inquiring about the story!**

 **xx**

 **Guest:** **Generally, Shikamaru plays a lot of thinking games, not just limited to Shogi. It's also mentioned that he also plays go in one of the episodes and it's also listed on the wiki :)**

 **Le otaku: Thank you! More of what happened to Aoi will be mentioned in this chapter! Haha, and I'm glad you caught onto that foreshadowing there.**

 **Guest: Thank you so much for pointing out that mistake! No wonder I was getting the feeling that I was getting something in the timeline wrong! I'll correct it asap, because April 20 was her birthday, and I messed it up. Thank you so much for pointing it out!**

 **xx**

 **After weeks of rewriting, finally presenting to you the next installment of Never Too Late :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

* * *

.

Training, she found, was an excellent way to take your mind off things. Especially if your mind was about twenty-five years old, and still (somewhat) frustrated at the whole reincarnated-into-another-world business. No matter how you looked at it, it just _had_ to be a joke. Couldn't she just be reincarnated into a flower, or something? Why the hell was she in this body of a person who didn't even seem to exist in canon?

Maybe this wasn't even the show she had watched at all. Maybe the moment she was born in this world, this universe became an _alternate universe_. But hell, this wasn't fanfiction, so why was this even happening? Someone, anyone, just give her an explanation. Please.

 _And why are you going through all this internal dilemma again? I thought you got over it._

A droll voice commented and she froze, the sound of her footsteps stopping abruptly.

Her first instinct was to look around. She was in the park, jogging, and while her ears tingled, currently, the general vicinity had nobody that she could sense of. Her second instinct was to panic. That voice didn't sound like her occasional monologue, it sounded familiar, but at the same time, she was certain that she had never ever heard that voice in this lifetime before.

(What, was she really losing it now?)

 _Who are you?_

She projected that thought through her mind, but not that she expected anything to reply, because this reminded her of how most normal people in the movies ended up turning insane, because, well, hearing voices didn't actually reassure you that you were sane. Now that she thought of it, her life reminded her that she might end up turning evil. Getting reborn in the Naruto universe? _Check._ Hearing voices in your head that are (probably) not yours? _Check._ Woah, if she wasn't careful, she just might end up becoming a typical villain, getting manipulated by the new voice in her head, and becoming bat-shit insane.

Aguri glanced around the empty park, wondering if the short experience had just been her imagination. But somehow, the hairs that stood on the back of her neck told her that she was never alone to begin with.

Damn it, she was only five, but she had no intention of losing her mind, if she hasn't lost it already. How would she know if this whole experience wasn't just a hallucination, and she was just in a coma somewhere back in her old world? But that itself was stupid, because what she had experienced when she got struck by that car- that was definitely what people called dying, or simply put 'Death'.

Even though she had died, she didn't have her life flash before her eyes before her death, or anything. Maybe it happened for others, just not for her. Out of her own curiosity, she remembered looking it up and researching the cause. The answer was that it was actually an adrenaline response. People saw their life flashing before their eyes because they were actually thinking in hyper-speed. So in that sense, it actually made sense why it didn't happen for her.

Her death, now that she thought of it, was so _ironic_. From the very beginning she was the type who fussed about rules and not breaking them. She was the type who refused to cross the road unless the signal for crossing the road turned green. If you didn't break rules, you didn't get into trouble. If you didn't get into trouble, you didn't have attention drawn to you.

Heh, but in no way did she use to be a good student. She sneaked food in class and ate it in secret, and she was never caught because the teacher never suspected her. She used her computer in class, surfing the web with one hand and taking notes with the other. Aguri probably used to enjoy getting away with breaking the rules and manipulating them. (Oh gosh, she was terrible.)

Thank goodness she stopped those practices in high school.

Ahem. After that, she stuck to the rules for real, because even though it was fun getting away without getting caught, she just didn't see the point anymore, not when trouble could be better avoided if you simply just refrained from stepping out of line. (It was probably a type of self-preservation instinct she got in high school.)

She digressed.

That day she got knocked over, she clearly recalled a sort of dampening numbness, and a blank mind. She was clearly asking for trouble wandering home alone at night, among the other busy pedestrians, and she stumbled onto the road accidentally. No one saw it coming. Maybe her senses were too off to react in time, and maybe she hadn't even felt the impact of the car hitting her. The pain sank in shortly after. Probably, she hadn't seen anything flashing before her- because she had already died.

Snuffed out like a candle. She lived a short twenty-years (not that it seemed short), and she died in one of the most stupid and ironic ways possible. Heh, how typical of her.

Even now, when she closed her eyes, Aguri felt... empty. A sort of dread that was uncalled for, a sort of darkness that was threatening to swallow her. In fact, she had been certain that it had been just about to swallow her up, and turn her into nothing. Now that she thought of it, the place she had been floating around in seemed to fit the word 'nothing' extremely well. It had been like floating around in outer space- only that there were no planets, no light, no stars.

No hope. Just one whole empty space of 'nothing', even though that honestly should be impossible, because there had to be _something_ there. Like her soul maybe. But if her soul hadn't been worth anything, it was technically 'nothing', too.

Dying was (seemingly) painless, but it was terrifying. Maybe she was supposed to feel nothing after dying. Maybe she was supposed to drift there for all eternity, choking on the emptiness. Something could have lived in that empty space in her mind, and she wouldn't have known. When Aguri thought of death, she used to think of cold skin and blood and light fading away from eyes, but now that she remembered what had come after dying, it was impossible to forget.

(She didn't want to remember at all.)

.

Daisuke Fumihito had just been doing his daily rounds around the village, and he had been surprised when he caught sight of a somewhat familiar figure- bandaged knuckles, leather gloves, a cream-colored top, black shorts, and a pair of earbuds. Of course, there was her childish-looking face and hair the uncommon shade of ash brown.

He watched in silent curiosity, as she seemed to be doing rounds as well, and without further ado, he stepped forward, nodding at her in a greeting, face splitting in what may be an overly-eager grin.

"Yo, Fusako!"

Aguri stopped stiffly in her tracks and turned, grey eyes looking black despite the light, and slowly, she nodded back. There was a crinkling of plastic as she immediately stuck her hand into her pocket.

"Hello, Fumihito-san. What brings you here?" Polite, but awkward.

Daisuke let out a laugh. It was strange how she was hardly ever hostile but how she just seemed so formal.

As he noticed the symbol on her shirt, it was then that he realized that her over-formality could be because she was born in a clan. Personally, he wasn't from a clan- he was just from a regular civilian family. Maybe his mom and dad were more paranoid about keeping fit than other families, but nevertheless, he was pretty much aware that being a civilian was not very much advantageous for him, because all the prodigies always came from clan families.

Sometimes, he might even feel jealous that they got to be raised and trained early in a clan... But that sort of thinking was stupid, and jealousy wasn't a good feeling.

Daisuke smiled, his grin toothy and childish, and let out a laugh, tucking his thumb into his side pocket.

"I'm training! Y'know, I didn't expect to see someone from the Academy training here." He commented, his head tilting sideways.

Aguri nodded easily, seeming to snap out from a sort of trance, an amused look flashing over her features for just a moment as she fell silent, seemingly considering something. But then she looked up at him again as she remarked.

"You don't really see the kids in our class training, don't you? Most of them do their training in their clan compounds, but even so I don't think the other kids do training at all." Her grey eyes flashed, and Daisuke's eyes widened at the sudden change of tone the conversation went, and curiously he glanced at her. It sounded intellectual and smart and it sounded like something his Mom would have said.

He didn't know what was wrong, really- there was just something just felt strange to him about what she had said, but he couldn't really point it out. Then he thought over her words again, before settling on the earlier part to her statement.

"But you're a kid, too." He pointed out, feeling very much confused at her choice of words. The way she spoke made it seem like she was older... but she was not. In fact, she was probably the youngest kid in class, because she looked _tiny._

Her grey eyes snapped to him, before she turned away and focused on something. The action made her feel distant, even though she was only just in front of him. Then her lips twisted into a sort-of smile, and her eyes flashed in amusement.

"Yeah, you're right. I am a kid." She nodded and took a step back from him, the not-smile growing cheery.

Daisuke wanted to pursue the topic in his curiosity, but it was then that Aguri spoke, a thoughtful look as she examined his face, grey eyes intently scrutinizing... something. He had no idea why, and the weird gesture made him just a bit edgy. And unnerved.

But Mom wouldn't be all that pleased if he admitted that he got freaked out by a girl who was younger than him.

"Hm, are you long-sighted, Fumihito-san? Your glasses look different than the average prescription glasses." Aguri finally spoke after a while.

Daisuke blinked.

The sudden change of topic caught him off guard, and he straightened up as he hurriedly nodded, wondering about what brought this on. Weren't they talking about being kids and training? What was going on?

"Yeah, I am, I just got these a while ago. It's a nuisance when I sleep in class, it keeps falling off." He declared loudly, and to prove his point, he pushed his glasses back up his nose only to have them slide down again.

"That's true, but you can just channel chakra to your face and have them stick there. It's about the same concept of the leaf-sticking exercise the other day, only that you can stick it on for however long you like since the surface area is longer. Oh, wearing glasses is a pain at first, but you'll get used to it. Long-sightedness can be pretty useful though, for throwing weapons. Next time we practice with kunai and shuriken you should take off your glasses." She drawled on, seeming to be getting lost in a barrage of ideas, unaware that she was talking a bit too much.

But Daisuke got the gist of it, anyway. But there was something else that bothered him, nonetheless.

"How d'you know how it feels like to wear glasses? I don't see you wearing any." He pointed out.

"Sorry. It's a secret." The smile on her face looked strange, maybe even ominous, like she was forcibly ending the conversation on that note. Maybe he was just reading too much into it, though, because Mom would definitely tell him off for being scared of a little girl.

He swallowed, nervously brushing loose hair from his eyes.

"Aguri!" A boy with black hair and dark eyes ran forward, and he turned his gaze towards him. Daisuke decided to play it friendly and he waved, letting his mouth rise up in a small smile.

He noted the symbol on the back of his shirt- a white-and-red fan, which he recognized to be the symbol of the Uchiha clan. (One of the most prestigious clans in Konoha, no less!)

The Uchiha boy turned away, eyes narrowed, and tucked his hand over Aguri's in a slow and deliberate action. Daisuke gulped as the boy sent him a glare, and he wondered why he was getting scared by someone who looked younger than him again. Deciding that it was a challenged, Daisuke stared back at him in what he hoped was a menacing manner. Maybe his glasses would help him look scarier...?

Turning back to face him, Aguri's hand rose in goodbye and her grey eyes looked dark and amused. The boy with dark hair turned around, and he pulled down one of his eyelids and stuck out his tongue at him. Daisuke glowered back at him, refusing to back down because that would just be shameful.

Then the Uchiha got a little present in the form of a light smack to the side of his head.

"Ouch, ouch!" The boy complained as he rubbed the spot that he had been struck.

"You deserved it, you little shit. Don't be rude." Aguri retracted her arm away from the boy's but Daisuke couldn't help but wonder if she had hit him on purpose so that he would let go of her hand. Her face did seem redder than usual, but it might be from annoyance. If anything, the slightly tense atmosphere from earlier was gone, that was something even he could tell.

"I hate you." The boy grumbled, his lip jutting out in a pout.

"I love you too." She smiled smugly, tucking her hands behind her back before she continued to speak, her smile turning into a grin. All traces of her earlier demeanor were... gone. It was almost like she was a completely different person. He certainly didn't expect to see a classmate addressing someone so familiarly, he hadn't expected it, actually. It was... kind of embarrassing.

Daisuke noted the sparkle in her grey eyes, and wondered who exactly the boy was.

"Why, does it still hurt? Do you need a kiss to make it better, Sasuke?" Her tone was teasing and light, and the boy Sasuke looked... like a tomato, strangely and similarly, Daisuke's cheeks turned pink because his Mom told him that girls had cooties, and he almost felt bad for the Sasuke kid.

On cue, the girl began to lean in closer, and closer-

"S-Shut up! Stay away!" The Uchiha spluttered, taking a step back and turning away, his face positively glowing.

Aguri cackled.

Daisuke walked away quickly because he felt like he was intruding and Mom told him that intruding on other people's moments were bad. Also, it was strange that the girl called Aguri Fusako was so weird and the Uchiha kid, Sasuke seemed to hate his his guts and he wondered if all girls were as scary as the grey-eyed girl and if girls had cooties and-

He should stop now.

"Eh." Daisuke shrugged and tucked his thumb into his pocket.

.

* * *

That was _gold_.

Damn, she should pull more cliché lines on Sasuke. He didn't even see it coming, and that was what made it so funny. He was now stubbornly walking a metre away from her and she could tell that he very much wanted to walk by her side, if only that there was the terrifying prospect of getting kissed by a girl. It wasn't like she was forcing a first-kiss on him, or anything, she had just been trying to make that boo-boo go away.

(Cue the snickering.)

 _Don't blame me, Sasuke-kun! I'm training you for your future full of fangirls!_ She snickered at the thought and Sasuke sneaked a side-glance at her as if aware that she was up to something.

In retaliation, her lips tilted up in a smile as she sent him a wink, resisting the urge to laugh when he turned pink. She almost wished she could have taken a photo just now, when he looked like the tomatoes he loved so dearly.

 _Mwahaha, I'm evil!_

Heh, maybe she _was_ having too much fun with this. Maybe Sasuke was the reason why she was going bonkers and on her way to becoming an insane villain.

Walking over, she bumped her shoulder against his lightly, and resisted to urge to guffaw when he jumped as if he had been on edge all this time. Letting out a sigh, she nudged him again to make sure he was listening.

"Sorry, Sasuke _-kun_. I'll try to keep the teasing to a minimum." Aguri stated as the Uchiha straightened and turned towards her, black eyes wide. His eyes narrowed briefly before a brilliant grin appeared again on his features.

"Okay." He accepted the apology as he then proceeded to tuck his hand over hers again, and Aguri exasperatedly wondered if the young Uchiha really had no idea how intimate the gesture was. Maybe that just showed how innocent he was... when he was being a little shit.

"Wait here, 'kay?" Sasuke let go of her hand in the front of the hospital and promptly dashed in, disappearing in a blur of black, and Aguri wondered what he was up to. Hopefully, this wasn't some sort of retribution for the teasing he received earlier, because honestly she had no idea if Sasuke was as grudge-bearing as he was a possessive little shit.

(Maybe she should be worried that her mood was shifting in and out so easily. Something told her that it was a problem, but she ignored it.)

Suddenly, she just got the feeling that someone was behind her, even though she hadn't exactly heard anything as of yet.

 _There's someone there._

It was like her paranoia from earlier was sinking in again, and she swallowed, half-expecting that not-familiar voice to speak again. Whirling around, she registered black hair and dark eyes, along with the beginnings of stress-lines underneath his eyes.

"H-hello, Itachi-san."

Aguri looked up at the towering nine-year old, gulping as she wanted to hide in a corner somewhere. Despite her considerable relief that it was Itachi and not some crazy bastard, well, it was Itachi, and that fact itself posed a problem. Where the hell was Sasuke, anyway? Didn't he say to wait for him in front of the hospital?

"Hello, Aguri-san."

Itachi nodded and greeted back good-naturedly, if not overly formal. Aguri shifted on her feet at the ensuing silence, and she swallowed as she made herself smile, nodding at the older Uchiha.

 _Damn it, Sasuke!_ Where did he go, anyway? She couldn't handle being alone with someone who was as awkward as her. An awkward person and another awkward person certainly did _not_ click together.

"Do you know why Sasuke wanted us here?" Aguri spoke, in a (futile) attempt to break the silence.

"...I do believe that Shisui injured himself."

"Shisui? Oh. I see." She responded, because she really had no idea what to say. Should she say 'Oh, snap! What happened to him?' But what if Itachi didn't know what happened to Shisui? That would obviously result in another awkward silence.

(And for the record, she had not even met Shisui yet, because all she could remember about the guy was that he was best friends with Itachi. In fact, she hadn't even caught a glimpse of him even when she went over to visit Sasuke at the Uchiha Compound. However, now that she thought of it, Shisui was older than Itachi and he probably goes on missions all the time.)

Turning towards the older Uchiha, she began the internal struggle of finding another conversation starter. Itachi closed his eyes, and she wondered if the awkwardness was killing him, too.

"Have you met him before?" He finally questioned, opening his eyes and glancing at her, and she wondered how the hell he was able to keep his cool so easily.

"Nope." She admitted.

"I see." He spoke, and the silence regained its reign. Hell, Aguri even thought that she might have heard the sound of crickets mocking her, but it seemed to be either a genjutsu or her hyperactive imagination.

It was at that moment that Sasuke walked out of the hospital doors and turned towards them, black eyes glimmering in mirth. If Aguri didn't know better, she would say that he looked the tiniest bit smug, as if he wanted to put the both of them through this uncomfortable torture.

"Itachi-nii! Aguri-chan!" Sasuke beamed as he called out.

He bounded over to Itachi with a smile and proceeded to drag both of them into the hospital, up countless flights of stairs, turning into different corridors, and past identical rooms. He ignored her small protest as he carelessly dragged her with an arm, and she noted that he was treating Itachi more carefully. And nicely.

 _Little shit._

They stopped in front of a door (that looked exactly the same as the other doors), and cheerfully Sasuke stepped forward and gave a small rap, before pulling it open.

"We're here!" He smiled widely, and he gestured for her to go in.

Aguri took a step forward, and suddenly she was shoved into the room, and ungracefully she landed onto the floor. (On her butt, no less)

Ouch.

 _Damn you._ She cursed inwardly, because she was sure that this was Sasuke's way of paying back at her for her cliché teasing, and he was definitely going to hold a tiny grudge against her for that forever.

Swallowing, her face glowed red in embarrassment as she got up and dusted herself off, her eyes averted. She didn't really want to look at anyone at the moment. Especially that little shit who currently looked a little more smug than he had moments ago.

"Shisui-nii!" The said little shit stepped up and shut the door once Itachi stepped into the room.

Sasuke ran up to the person seated on the bed, and Aguri was rather shocked to see Naruto sitting there beside somebody, talking animatedly.

Her eyes widening slightly, she turned and gave the person a once-over. Unkempt, dark hair that could rival Daisuke's, but shorter, and dark eyes that were the tell-tale traits of a Uchiha. The person she assumed was Shisui sat on the edge in the bed like Naruto, and she noted bandages peaking out from under his sleeve. A dislocated shoulder or a stab wound, perhaps?

"Aguri-chan! You're here!"

Naruto beamed at her, a sort of innocent cheekiness in his expression, and Shisui turned towards her, eyebrows slightly raised.

"Heya, Naruto-kun." Aguri sent him a grin, but even her greeting felt weak. Aguri swallowed, and nodded towards the other Uchiha, giving a half-bow. Sasuke had long since picked up on her apparent lack of a social sklls, and he sure as hell wasn't going to do her introductions for her.

(It might have been just her imagination, but Sasuke was turning more and more evil, without a doubt.)

"I'm Fusako Aguri. Nice to meet you!" She spoke softer than usual, and inwardly she chided herself for it. Urgh, she really need to work on _not_ being awkward, if she was going to survive this life. Shisui's gaze examined her and she shifted on her feet, before a cheerful smile broke onto his face. She found herself looking at the hitai-ate that he wore on his forehead, looking notably more worn than Itachi's.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Shisui!" He jabbed a thumb towards himself, and grinned at her. "Sasuke here told me all about you."

As if on cue, he sent a teasing glance towards Sasuke, who visibly spluttered as he quickly denied it.

Ah, so Sasuke talked about her at home. She wondered if she should be worried about that, because if Shisui knew who she was, who knew who else have heard about her. Brushing off the notion as herself just over-thinking things, she reminded herself that Sasuke was young, and when she was young she had babbled all about her best friend to her mother to the point where her Mom could recognize the said best friend on sight.

Heh.

"Shut up, Shisui!" The Uchiha's mouth fell open in horror as if his deepest, darkest secret had just been broadcast to the world, and his expression was a mix of mortification and panic. Sasuke looked almost ready to pounce on Shisui, but Naruto soon joined in the teasing. He soon looked conflicted on who he should pounce on first, and briefly, Aguri wondered if her own feral tendencies had rubbed off on the Uchiha in some way.

Itachi remained silent, but the slight glimmer in his eyes made it evident that he was highly amused by Sasuke's embarrassing 'secret', and wordlessly he turned towards Shisui and while his expression hardly changed, there was this... amused look in his expression.

"Stop laughing at me, Itachi! When I said I was going to master disarming people, I didn't mean it literally!" Shisui grumbled as he leaned onto the wall behind him, avoiding placing his body weight on his shoulder.

...So he really dislocated his shoulder, somehow.

Naruto howled in laughter at the much-intended pun.

"Shisui-nii-san, how did that even happen, 'ttebayo!" Naruto wheezed, hugging his stomach as he attempted to halt his rambunctious laughter.

Shisui sighed comically, propping himself up and crossing his arms across his chest, wincing slightly as he moved his arm.

"Training mishap. Someone laid out ninja wire and I didn't notice it. It wrapped around my arm and I fell down." He explained, shrugging his shoulders lightly.

"Ninja wire... you said?" Naruto turned pale as soon as he heard Shisui's reply.

Shisui glanced at him in much curiosity. "What of it?"

Naruto let out a nervous chuckle. "I didn't think Shisui-nii-san would actually fall for it."

Shisui looked at him, eyes widening in surprise.

"Sorry, Shisui-nii-san." Naruto muttered softly, looking almost downcast. "I didn't think it would hurt you, 'ttebayo."

Honestly, at that moment Naruto looked so sincere and so sad about hurting Shisui and it made her really want to give him a glomp or two. Naruto was just sweet in that way. He held an unbelievable amount of love towards others and she really just respected him purely for that. He was still breaking out of his shell but he was opening up, slowly and surely.

And needless to say, Naruto was a master at the art of being sneaky. It wasn't surprising, considering that when he played pranks at the Academy (in the original series), not even the chūnin instructors was actually caught him in the act. The only thing that would have given Naruto away would have been the 'Uzumaki Naruto was here!' signs.

The Naruto she first met by the swing had been untrusting and wary of strangers and other children. She could still remember his nervous fiddles and looks of fear. Now, he had grown up to become a ray of sunshine, and he was well on the way to become the savior (and future Hokage) of the village. Honestly, she couldn't describe how proud she was of Naruto-

Wait.

When did Naruto begin to play pranks, anyway?

She turned to Shisui, feeling very much confused.

"It's fine, kid." Similarly, Shisui had a fond-looking expression on his face and he messed up Naruto's hair with his good arm. "Just look out, because when I step out of this room, I'm going to pull some god-level pranks to return the favor!"

Naruto brightened up considerably and grinned. "Me and Sasuke against Shisui-nii-san! You're _so_ gonna lose, 'ttebayo!"

 _Holy shit, it's the beginning of a prank war!_

Aguri edged away inconspicuously, silently crossing her fingers and hoping that they wouldn't include her in their (cute but) ridiculous shenanigans. As if on purpose, Sasuke's hand roped onto hers and he pulled her forward, his lips pulling upwards into a cheeky grin.

"Count Aguri- _chan_ in!" She could feel the tease in his voice and she inwardly groaned at the blatant sabotage. (Why the heck was Sasuke adding _-chan_ to her name and acting all innocent, anyway?)

"Oh, that's a great idea! Good job, Sasuke!" Naruto grinned as he brandished a thumbs-up at the both of them, and Aguri cried inside.

"It's settled. The three of us against you, Shisui-nii!" Sasuke pulled an arm over her shoulder and ignored her 'get out of my space' aura, and one of her thumbs twitched involuntarily. All her suspicions of Sasuke going out of his way to make her life miserable (or in truth, include her in their various antics) were being confirmed at rapid speed.

 _... Damn you, Sasuke!_

Huffing, she turned away from the little shit beside her, and instead focused on the Uchiha with the dislocated shoulder. There was something about Shisui ending up in hospital as a result of this development that bothered her greatly, like she was missing out something in the big picture. However, she couldn't place it, and it was like someone had submerged her mind in water and trying to communicate with her via bubbles. Screw this, she couldn't be less bothered with her half-assed memory right now.

She shook her head slightly, and her hand fell to her side, brushing against her pocket full of pineapple candy. The crinkle of plastic was familiar, and very tempting.

Gripping the fabric of her shirt, Aguri glanced up, feeling a smile tug it's way up her lips.

"How long will you be here for, Shisui-san?"

Shisui turned towards her, seeming to be surprised that she had spoke at all. (C'mon, it's not that surprising! It's not like she's the quiet role in an anime or something... oh.) He quickly recovered, however, and the corner of his mouth tugged upwards impishly.

"Three days. Why, you worried or something?"

Aguri began to choke on nothing. Holy shit, was that a tease?

 _Seriously man. We met literally five minutes ago. You're at least five years older than me. Don't pull this kind of shit on me, I have no idea how to deal with it._

She opted to remain silent, positive that if she spoke now, she would end up squeaking and stuttering because that was what he expected her to do. Hey, maybe her silence would even encourage him to not say such strange things to her anymore. Shisui tilted his head in mild confusion, turning to Sasuke for an explanation.

"She's really shy." Sasuke supplied, sending her a glance. Her mind denied his statement, but she didn't actually say anything to refute it. As much as she wanted to believe it was not true, it was like her body naturally reacted in an awkward, albeit shy manner to situations like this.

The younger Uchiha shot her a bold grin at her reddened face, and she shot him a glare and promptly straightened up, slapping her cheeks and facing straight forward with a huff, one of her thumbs twitching. She slapped him lightly over the back and scowled, because even if the Uchiha's have no apparent sense of dignity she still had hers.

"Shut up, I'm not shy. I'm just not that fond of talking."

- _in front of strangers, and I don't have to be a social butterfly._

She completed the statement in her mind, because she just felt like she would get judged if she said half the stuff she thought about in her mind out loud. There was this aching temptation that wanted her to spill the beans to everyone- but she knew it was only out of curiosity, because she was certain every other aspect of her mind would make sure that every single one of her secrets stayed a secret.

(Even if she did tell someone, she just didn't trust anyone on that kind of level yet. Maybe she wouldn't ever, because secrets were bound to be leaked somehow. It was better to be safe than sorry, and Aguri was certain she didn't want to pay a visit to the T&I unit.)

Aguri shivered.

"Yeah, she's not shy." Shisui decided, before giving a thoughtful frown. "She's weird."

Did he just... form his first impression of her? The people here sure were direct.

Aguri scowled slightly at how he was talking like she wasn't there, but she could tell that he hadn't meant it as an insult, at the very least. And the person she met for five minutes was already forming his first impression of her, and there was no way you could salvage bad first impressions (without some difficulty, that is.)

In the background, Naruto and Sasuke snickered. There was nothing to be heard from Itachi, but she was quite sure he was laughing on the inside, as well.

Her hands clenched and she rubbed her temples, feeling mildly exasperated.

Damn the little ray of sunshine. Damn the whole lot of Uchiha's. Especially the one that was snickering.

"Being weird is good." She muttered indignantly under her breath, but everyone in the room heard it.

.

* * *

An hour full of laughter and considerably-less-awkward chatting later, the group stepped out of the room, and Aguri offered Shisui a lazy wave as she began to make her way out of the hospital, Sasuke and Naruto closely following from behind, with Itachi taking the back, watching over all of them. Not that she actually knew the way out, but she figured that Sasuke would stop her if she was going the wrong way.

She mulled in thought for a while, just thinking- wait, not thinking, it was more of _considering_ today's turn of met Shisui. He had a weird sense of humor, and he was more than likely the one who influenced Naruto (and possibly Sasuke) to start their pranking days, but he seemed to be a good person.

Maybe she was just getting attached too quickly, but something pulled in her heart when she was reminded of Shisui's suicide, and the Uchiha Massacre. It was terrifying, knowing that it was going to happen... but not knowing when, or how she could prevent it. It was like the universe was taunting her for her knowledge, dangling a prize before her that she couldn't have.

Suddenly, her fingers tingled as she caught wind of a familiar frequency- the frequency of a voice, in fact. It was a relatively average frequency, not too low, yet not too high, but it was fine-tuned exactly like her mother's. (And conveniently, she had not seen her mother in _forever_. On instinct, she turned towards the direction, only to spot Aoi walking away from a nurse and heading towards a room.

It might have just been a hallucination of sorts, or maybe it was just her imagination, because such a coincidence was just not possible in real life. Not seeing her mother for the first time in the whole week, and to suddenly see her while walking out of a room five meters away?

Should she be sick of the universe screwing with her?

"Hey, you guys go home first. I think I saw my mom, I'm going over to greet her."

She half-whispered to the group behind her, and Sasuke nodded, waving at her in goodbye. She waited until they were well out of sight, before she quickly ducked behind a wall, her hand going instinctively up to her ear buds for some adjusting. Metres away, Aoi rapped a few times on the door she stood in front of, and Aguri held her breath as her eyes looked over her mother's appearance. It might have been her imagination once more, but Aoi looked more dishevelled and tired than usual, and she looked like she had lost weight.

The door opened, and Aoi slid into the room. Once again, the corridor fell silent.

Aguri's eyes remained fixated on the room door, as if she was afraid that it might by some chance, vanish along with all traces of her mother.

Slinking over to the door quietly, she pondered over whether or not she should go in. But then she realized that her parents were both probably inside, and that she should be allowed to visit her dad, at the very least.

With that thought in mind, her fingers tightened over the cool metal of the door handle, and she pushed it open gently. Screw manners, her mother has been neglecting her for the past week and that wasn't how you should raise a child.

She spotted a neat bun of honey-blonde hair and frowned. A sort of conflicted distaste erupted in her chest, snarling in suppressed hostility as she glanced towards the woman called Aoi Fusako.

It was a strange feeling, because Aguri had never loathed her own mother before. In fact, she had loved her Mom more than anything else in the world. More than often, she had gotten annoyed with her mother, but in the end there was a sort of bubbly warmness that always stayed within her. It was at this point of time, where Aguri would do anything just to see a familiar head of coal-black and rimmed glasses and a kindly smile-

"Aguri-chan?" She must have been in a trance, because on instinct her body jolted up at the familiar-sounding voice.

.

Aoi turned around at her husband's words and took in the sight of her daughter, her eyes widening slightly. She avoided her daughter's gaze and a smile stretched on her face.

"Oh, hello, sweetie."

Her heart sank at how strained the greeting came out as, and she winced at the frown that appeared on her daughter's face subsequently. Not exactly smooth.

Her husband sat up slightly, and Aguri stepped forward towards them. No, not towards _them_. Towards her father.

"Papa? How are you doing?"

A small smile appeared on her husband's face, and she smiled in turn as her husband reached towards his daughter's head in a playful attempt to mess up her hair. Aguri promptly ducked sideways, letting out a small laugh before she plopped herself down onto a nearby chair.

Aoi noticed the way she was being ignored, but she knew she deserved it. She thought long and hard about when Aguri last saw her father, and regretfully, she realized that she couldn't even remember. Aoi had taken the news of Miyuki's hospitalization for herself, and neglected to ask Aguri if she wanted to visit her father as well.

In the end, she was still being selfish. And of course, it had been yet another mistake on her part.

Look at what good it did for Aguri. When Aoi returned home on that fateful day only to find her unconscious and beaten up, it was like all her mistakes were coming back to haunt her, and her heart twisted and wrenched in a fit of anxiety.

Aguri had recovered as good as new, seemingly bouncing back to the pink of health, even, and Aoi let out a breath that she had been holding back for a very long time. But ever since then, Aoi realized that she saw a change in the look of Aguri's grey eyes- dull, dark... resigned, like a shinobi who was aware that he was going to die.

But for good reason- or at least she would like to believe so- she hid the more unpleasant details regarding Miyuki's hospitalization that she didn't want Aguri to know about, because mature or not, it wasn't something a child like her should be burdened with. She did it because she loved Aguri, didn't she?

No. She was selfish. She couldn't continue pretending forever. Love wasn't selfish.

This wasn't love.

Maybe it was good that Aguri had found them here in the hospital. How long would she have gone avoiding her own child?

And the worst part of it all- she didn't even have a real reason why she was acting that way. It was her own gut instinct that screamed at her, that contorted her insides, that prickled her with the needles dubbed 'fear'. Bur Aguri was a pleasant child, befitting her nice, quiet-sounding name. She was a good child, and she certainly didn't deserve a terrible person like herself as her mother. No, she was not even fit of being called a mother, if she was feeling this way about her own child.

Years ago, Aoi would have laughed at the thing called 'irony' in its face, but alas, she wasn't the same person now. She wasn't the same person who laughed with Mikoto Uchiha and teased Kushina Uzumaki, she wasn't the person who Fusako Miyuki fell in love with. She was nothing more than a shadow of her former self, an imitation who didn't need to exist.

Aoi stared at the duo before her with blank hazel eyes, inwardly noting the similarities between father and daughter- down to the exact shade of ash-brown hair. Realizing how similar they were only served to make her feel more distant from her daughter.

Flickers of the conversation went in from one ear out the other, and it was one of those times that she couldn't get herself to focus- to respectfully pay attention while her husband and daughter were conversing. It was like trying to collect fog with her fingers- she felt hopeless, numb even. Shutting her eyes, she took a deep breath, and waited for time to pass.

But not so literally. When an hour did pass, Aoi frowned, because she always used to hate how time flied. How strange it must have seemed, for a woman who came to visit her husband spend an hour without interacting with neither her daughter or her husband.

A medic-nin stood by the door, propping it open, and waited for the both of them to leave.

"I'll teach you an Earth-style jutsu one day." Distantly, she heard Miyuki say, and her hazel eyes snapped to him like they were snapping out of a trance.

"Promise?" Aguri sounded hopeful, and something pulled in her heart. She sounded so much like a young child that it was almost deceptive.

"Of course." Miyuki promised, and Aguri let him mess up her hair, a beam on her face. His face looked paler than usual, and coughs rattled his frame, but he managed a smile as they got up. She spotted Aguri's tensed shoulders, but she made no attempt to reassure her.

"Thanks, Papa!" Her daughter smiled, squeezing his hand before she let go, turning and marching out of the door without saying a word.

As they left wordlessly, Aoi noted how she used to hate how Miyuki always left for missions without saying goodbye, how she used to hate how he removed his ANBU mask around them even though he wasn't supposed to, how she used to hate him leaving but now she was glad to be able to breath once he went.

.

Walking along the small dirt path that was the way home, Aguri broke the silence.

"Mother." Her tone was clipped and short. A sense of dread descended upon her, and inwardly she panicked- how on earth was she supposed to explain to her child that she was avoiding Aguri for a reason that didn't exist?

"What happened to Papa?" Her ash-brown hair looked duller than it should be, and she sounded quieter than usual, but Aoi forced herself to turn away. Her tone was so formal- it was nothing like the way they used to talk.

And the question caught her off guard, too. Inwardly, Aoi was pondering over why she wasn't currently being given an interrogation, about where her whereabouts have been, and why she left her alone.

"Nothing, sweetie. It's nothing." She saw the disbelief flashing through Aguri's eyes, but she ignored it, because her words were meant to reassure herself more than it was for Aguri. There was a period of silence, and the older woman waited and waited for Aguri to break the silence, to tell her off for leaving her alone, to cry and scream at her, because that was what she deserved. That was what any child would do.

Damn it. She was terrible. Why was she still lying, even now?

Her daughter only broke the choking silence a while later.

"Will he be okay?" Concern was intoned into her voice, but still, it sounded quiet and distant, like her daughter was thinking of about a hundred different things when she asked the question. Her grey eyes drifted over to her, but somehow, they looked dark and blank.

"Of course he will be." Aoi intoned, her smile small and polite. The doubt that she saw in her daughter's expression made her breath shakily, but Aoi stuck to her answer, because it was just so easy to lie.

She used to hate lying, too.

.

* * *

 _You're too cliché, mother._

That was what she thought at first, but when Aguri reached home, stepping into the house after her mother did, the first thing she did was lock herself in her room and rip open a plastic wrapper, sliding a piece of pineapple candy into her mouth.

Then she got up, scribbled a note and stuck it on her table, and slipped out of her house for a reason she didn't comprehend. She walked towards no particular destination in particular, and somehow she found herself sullenly passing by a forest and rapping lightly on a door. It was like she was in a trance, as if someone had been unconsciously tugging her limbs to move in this direction in particular. But it wasn't someone she knew.

There was a slight crinkle in her pockets as she took a step back, grey eyes scanning her surroundings and realizing where she was exactly. It sank in when the door creaked open slightly and her eyes met the eyes of someone who wasn't close yet wasn't distant. Swallowing, she felt her lips stretch up in a smile.

"Hey, Shikamaru. It's been a while." Aguri spoke first, tucking her hand into her pocket, and fidgeting around with a hard candy pinched in between her fingers. Briefly, there was a moment of silence and it was awkward, because she hadn't seen him since she started school. But at the same time, the silence wasn't that uncomfortable, either.

"Want to play a game of Go?" She brought up.

Shikamaru complied. He opened the door and let her in. Silently, she stood in the hallway as Shikamaru disappeared into the kitchen for a bit.

"Who is it, Shikamaru?" She heard Yoshino speak and she could almost see the former-kunoichi in her apron and holding a frying pan.

"It's Aguri." His reply was short, and immediately Yoshino peered over the bend of the corridor and glancing towards her, dark strands in her eyes.

"Hello, Yoshino-san. I'm sorry to bother you." Aguri felt herself smile. Yoshino smiled back and returned the greeting, but shortly disappeared into the kitchen after that. Following Shikamaru to his room, she was more than grateful when Yoshino kindly brought them both cups of hot, steamy chocolate. The cup was warm to her touch.

Aguri thanked her and sipped slowly, feeling the chocolate warm her up inside. It was creamy, sweet and warm, and she decided that she liked it better than a more familiar sweet-and-sour.

.

* * *

 **TBC**

* * *

 **Aguri has been either painfully awkward or relentlessly teasing Sasuke. She may or may not be hearing things, she was casually musing about her death, and she payed Shikamaru an impromptu visit. She meets (prankster) Shisui at last.** **Sasuke's darkest secret is out, and he sort of dragged Aguri in ;) Naruto pulled off his first prank (on Shisui) and remained adorable. Itachi almost got killed by the awkwardness and finally Aoi reappeared... along with Aguri's father. Also, just a hint of symbolism for something... what, exactly? You'll find out soon ^^**

 **.**

 **(So I just felt like doing a dramatic outro. I really need to work on that.)**

 **By the way, when Aguri is revisiting her bad practices in her old life, she doesn't refer to herself as Aguri, but 'she' because her past self still doesn't have a name.**

 **About the last question, Your Lie in April and Tokyo Ghoul made me tear up from feels. Haikyuu! made me (nearly) cry because of feels (the cute fluffy kind)**

 **Question: What do you think of the new kid, Daisuke?**

 **.**

 **See you!**

 **-Cyan Rubies**


	12. First time

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

 **(I totally did not forget to update. Forgive me.)**

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

* * *

.

2 months of watching Mizuki nag at them flew past quickly, and Class 1A had finally begun to practice actual taijutsu, and not just study the various moves and techniques.

In the past two months, Aguri had been doing well but not exceedingly well, and the only thing that was noteworthy about her would be her chakra control. Her taijutsu was just slightly above average, and honestly, she thought that the only reason she was doing well at all was because of her advanced mind and extra years of experience- meaning that she had a better 'common sense' and that she knew how to do things more efficiently.

(After all, common sense was far less common that what one would expect.)

It felt just like cheating, that the only reason she was able to do well in anything at all was because of her life-hacks in the form of twenty years of experience, but she should be grateful, because at least she still had most of her memories.

And as much as she doesn't want to admit it, it scared her. Everything scared her at this point, and she was not even a ninja yet, for goodness' sake. It scared her that her mother was never at home, and that her father was in the hospital. It scared her that she just might be losing her sanity, because no sane person heard voices in their mind. It was freaking her out how swiftly time was slipping through her fingers, reminding her that even though she was currently a child, time was never on her side and never will be.

(Sometimes, she looked into the mirror and felt like she was looking at a stranger. Her looks, her smile... who the hell was she?)

Nothing could last forever. Those whom you trusted with your life may very well one day stab you in the back. Bonds could be broken. Dreams couldn't last forever- they are either torn apart from sinking reality, and once you fulfill a dream, won't it disappear? Eventually, you grow tired and bored of it and it wasn't a dream anymore, that was why living in a dream was impossible, because life itself doesn't last forever, and it was a bed of prickly roses.

The girl who got knocked over by a car could very well be a living lie. The boy who was ostracized as a kid could very well be everyone's future savior. A boy with bright eyes and a kind smile could grow up nearly driven mad by the death of his family. The cheerful outcast who used to help the elderly cross the road could lose his mind over the death of someone he loved dearly. A mother who raised you all your life may leave you on your own because she was afraid that everything was a mistake.

Nothing lasted forever because there would always be change. It was sort of ironic in a sense, that change was the only constant.

Aguri looked around her, and she wondered how long this sense of fleeting peacefulness would last. She wondered if the smiles on the faces of those closest to her were just masks, and she wondered how many were hurting inside. Maybe none. Maybe all of them.

Nothing brought this on- except for maybe the fact that she was just living up to the expectations of society.

She felt the need to question this existence of hers. She wanted, no, _needed_ to find something to justify the mystery named Fusako Aguri.

Why was she training to be a ninja? She could very well just be an ordinary civilian. She could just pretend she didn't know anything, and watch as everything headed towards the way it was supposed to be. Why was she even doing this? There was sure to be some sort of effect of her here, because she didn't belong here. What made her think she could help this world, even remotely? What even made her think she was supposed to be trying to change something here?

It didn't even make sense, because Naruto ended off being happy, didn't it? Everyone grew up and was perfectly happy. What right did she have to change that?

Why was she here?

For all she knew, this peacefulness was a lie. It could just be an illusion, after all. Maybe this was a genjutsu. Maybe this was just fragments of reality. Konoha reminded her of so many unfulfilled promises and regrets that she had left behind. Her name was robbed away, along with her normal life. Maybe this was just someone up there mocking her former temporal existence.

Aguri heard someone laugh, and for how good her hearing was, she could never figure out who was the one laughing.

.

The end of the year loomed before her with a sort of finality, and she knew that she was doomed.

Over the course of the year, at least five people had dropped out from the Academy from being unable to cope with the strenuous training. With the end of the year came major exams- though if she were to be brutally honest, she wasn't particular concerned about anything other than the taijutsu practical.

(Sure, her weapon throwing could do with more concern, but yeah. She just sucked at that. One day she would find what she was good at, but whatever it was, it wasn't amazing accuracy in throwing weapons, or at least shuriken and kunai.)

The upcoming taijutsu exam was to be done in pairs. Lee and Daisuke had already paired up to fight each other for the upcoming exam. This meant that she was pretty much alone, because the only two people whom she was at least acquaintances with were pairing up with each other. It had come as a surprise though, but she shouldn't have been that surprised about it, really.

 _"I do not wish to fight Aguri-saaan!"_ A tearful Lee had proclaimed just earlier that day.

So now, Aguri was walking around the grounds with a sort of desperation. Tenten was partnered with someone not familiar to her, and Hajime was partnered up with one of his goons. To think she was as desperate as to consider pairing up with someone she didn't talk to and her brat of a cousin.

 _Ah, but such is the life of a loner._

She groaned softly and eventually gave up on looking by herself, because not only was she the youngest in class, she was tiny. She _felt_ tiny. Walking towards Mizuki, she decided to approach him for assistance despite the mild bitter taste in her mouth.

"Sensei," She heard herself say. "I can't find a partner."

Mizuki glanced at her, his gaze shifting from calculating to one more akin to understanding in a matter of seconds, and the corners of his mouth stretched up into a not-smile.

"Well, that's not good, Aguri-chan. Class! Who doesn't have a partner?" He called out for attention from the class, his tone sounding a tad too warm.

Aguri fidgeted on the spot as the class suddenly turned her attention onto her and it made her extremely uncomfortable, knowing that a whole bunch of six year-olds who consisted mostly of self-assured and judgmental brats were staring at her like she was a caged tiger on display. She heard Lee's audible sniff all the way from across the training grounds, quickly accompanied by Daisuke's half-hearted attempt to calm him down, and was broken between wanting to laugh or run away.

Suddenly there was a hasty shift in the crowd as it hurriedly parted for someone to move to the front, and Aguri blanched.

The person, who was notably strong in taijutsu, had undoubtedly been unable to find a partner as well, despite his overwhelming popularity as top student in the class- mainly because of the glaring fact that no one wanted to get their ass kicked. He stood, clear eyes holding a strong gaze and his head held unnecessarily high.

For her taijutsu grading, her sparring partner will be none other than Neji Hyuuga. They stared at each other, and her grey eyes narrowed as they met pale ones. It remained that way until class ended and along with it came the end of school. She grabbed her things and ran out of class, feeling like an asshole for leaving Daisuke and Lee behind even though they hadn't asked her if they could walk home with her yet.

But for now, there was only one thing in her mind.

 _Damn. I'm so screwed._

.

"Mother?"

Aguri ran into the house, and was greeted with an empty silence. As was to be expected.

"Psh, dang you." She backtracked out of the house, slamming the door close behind her before she dashed off to the hospital.

"Can I visit Fusako Miyuki?" Aguri pleaded as she confronted the nurse standing by the door, doing her best impression of Naruto's puppy eyes, but to her sinking displeasure the nurse shook her head.

"I'm sorry. Fusako-san is currently resting." She nodded and sighed.

"Thanks. Send him my regards!" Calling out half-heartedly, she began to jog away.

She went to find Shisui subsequently after that, hoping that he could give her some advice, but he was already discharged from the hospital. She ran to the Nara's to ask Shikamaru for advice, but he wasn't at home. Hell, Lee and Daisuke were nowhere to be found either.

She almost contemplated visiting Naruto when an idea struck her when she groaned as she smacked herself on the forehead.

"How did I not think about this earlier?" Aguri grumbled at her own stupidity as she bolted towards the Uchiha's. Urgh. Count on her for her thinking to be affected at a crucial time like this.

Gulping in a breath, she dashed over to the front gate, pushing it open and slipping inside. The guards by the door paid her no attention at the common sight.

"Sasuke! You here?" She called out. A few passing Uchiha's spared her an odd look, before turning their mighty heads away. Undoubtedly, they were cringing at the sight of such a dishevelled girl in their compound.

A flurry of footsteps could be heard as the said young Uchiha poked his head around the door, and upon seeing her, a grin appeared on his face as he waved.

"Miss me already?" He asked with a wry grin, however it quickly shifted as he finally noticed her distress. Aguri swallowed.

"HYUUGA IS AFTER MY BLOOD." Sasuke winced at the shrill wail and her hands flew about as she attempted to gather herself before she flipped out completely, and Sasuke looked almost at a lost of how to deal with a tiny five year-old who was freaking out, and-

 _Poke._

Hang on. Did someone just poke her?

Her eyes shifted upwards as a pair of dark eyes that didn't belong to Sasuke stared back at her. His arm landed back by his side as he stepped back in silence.

"...Heya, Itachi-san." She said, feeling about ten times better for some reason. The incredulous look that appeared on Sasuke's face was almost funny.

"...Hello, Aguri-san. Have you calmed down yet?" He spoke politely, if not rather softly.

His words registered about a second late. Holy shit, this was the first time she actually heard Itachi speak more than one sentence at a time.

"Y-Yeah, I think so. Thanks." She spoke, feeling the awkwardness that came with thanking Itachi for poking her in the forehead.

(Also, damn the traitorous stutter.)

Aguri closed her eyes and willed Sasuke to break the awkwardness somehow. Then she gave up on that thought and sighed, turning towards the younger Uchiha..

"Hey, can you spar with me? I need all the practice I can get if I don't want to lose too badly." Swallowing sheepishly, her hand placed itself on the back of her neck as she spoke.

 _Heck, I already know I'm probably going to lose. I just don't want to lose to that kid so easily._

Inwardly in her mind she complained, because her damn pride won't let her consider the thought of letting a six year-old turn her into a punching bag. Hell, she wasn't even anywhere near the Hyuuga's level- this body of hers (with nonexistent stamina) was no way conditioned like her old one, it had no way of performing the karate moves she had learnt and she just did not think that karate could beat taijutsu. She had been dead wrong when she thought that she could incorporate some of her moves in her fighting- she already had difficulty remembering details from her former life as it is, how could you expect her to remember every single karate move? For that she had relied mostly on muscle memory, and it definitely wasn't going to help.

Her age already put her at a disadvantage- not only was she smaller (albeit shorter), she was also lighter, and that meant that she wouldn't have much luck trying to tackle anyone until she was actually not a pipsqueak. It worked that one time on Hajime, but that had only because he was being a careless asshole.

(Her only salvation was that her fighting style was vicious, or at least she thought that it was. She liked to think that she was intimidating in battle but she realised she probably just looked like a tiny pissed-off kitten. Urgh.)

In the span of all that inward freaking out in five seconds, Sasuke glanced at her like he could sense her anxiety. He grinned.

(She grinned back at him because she knew what was his answer already, and she wondered what made her deserve such an amazing friend like the little shit.)

"'kay." He intoned, and without a further word he dropped into a stance and signaled for her to make the first move.

And so she did.

Aguri charged towards him, light on her heels, and her fists swung at him. He backed up, landing back on his feet for mere seconds before he catapulted towards her, before quickly vanishing out of sight. Aguri heard the whoosh in the air before she saw him, and spinning around she raised her arms as she blocked the upcoming blow.

Suddenly she was the one on the defensive as she began to dodge blow by blow, and Sasuke moved faster than what her eyes were used to seeing. She weaved around his kicks and punches, with a sort of flexibility that she didn't know she possessed before this spar.

The Uchiha Clan's taijutsu style was fast and dynamic- in other words, it was all speed and power. It gave you no room to breath and it kept you on the tips of your feet. It blew you away with the sheer intensity.

And there was no doubt that Sasuke was taught to fight like this from his infant days. He had power and speed on his arsenal. She had... at least the speed needed to keep up.

But what she liked about Sasuke was how he didn't hold back. He wouldn't fight her with anything less than a hundred percent and she appreciated it.

A fist flew by her face, and she dodged in time, feeling the air whistle in her ears. Ducking under Sasuke's arm, she made use of her momentum, sliding to the ground behind him and her hand flew out to strike him in the back of his head. Almost immediately, he turned around and bent backwards, her fist soaring a mere inch from his face.

In retaliation, he struck out in a kick- and she didn't see it coming. By the time she tried to back out of harm's way, the kick met it's target, and with a wheeze the air is knocked out of her as her body is pushed several meters behind from the impact, and she landed less-than-gracefully on the dirt ground.

Stepping forward in silence, Itachi called the spar off, and Sasuke was the winner, because he had made the first real strike.

"Damn, you really like making me land on the ground, don't you?" Aguri grumbled, wheezing as she pushed herself back up. _'And on my ass, no less.'_ She added in her mind, grumbling softly.

Itachi's attention silently snapped towards her, and she felt a warning glare being directed on her all of a sudden.

Of course, the older Uchiha was an overprotective little shit, and wouldn't know that she swore in front of Sasuke on a daily basis.

 _Shit, don't tell me Sasuke's been swearing at home?!_

Her mouth fell open in horror and immediately she launched into a series of hacks and coughs, and she pressed her hand against her mouth.

"S-sorry, did I say damn? I meant ham, you know! H-ham! Ham is super delicious." Her arms flailed as Aguri stuttered, and she tried to smile convincingly, but instead her smile like a grimace.

As if he considered the negative effects on his brother's ears negated, Itachi's head jerked just in the slightest and she let out a breath she had no idea she was holding in. Suddenly Sasuke snickered, and Aguri's thumb twitched in irritation.

Itachi silenced both of them with a sharp look.

"Now," He intoned softly. "I will review your spar."

Her back straightened up as Itachi took up what she thought was 'Sensei mode.'

(And on that fateful day, Aguri miraculously payed attention during a lesson for once.)

* * *

.

Her fingers drummed lightly across the wooden table top, and her head propped on her other hand, she lazily lifted her gaze in front to where Mizuki was droning.

And yes, she was drifting off in her own thoughts. Because who wasn't guilty of not paying attention in class at least once? Right?

... Of course, with the exception of Lee and Neji Hyuga. Lee was the energetic kid who jumped to answer questions (that he might not always have the answer to). Neji was presumably Mizuki's favorite, because not only did he pay attention, he had good grades, a high social standing because of his clan, and he was a genius. She sucked at math (or at least college-level algebra and geometry), but she was quite sure that it was the equation for getting the wonderful position called 'Teacher's Pet'.

On the other hand, she was getting annoyed at the forced look of patience that Mizuki constantly sent Lee, and a small scowl appeared on her face. Watching that not-smile of Mizuki's that didn't even reach his eyes made her feel disgusted and it made her wonder if her fake smiles looked like his.

Just because the not-yet-green ball of energy was not from a clan, doesn't mean that you could treat him like a pest. Everyone was equal in a classroom (in terms of being a student, because kids got cocky easily), and everyone should be given equal opportunities. Neji should not be treated as the cream of the crop and getting the most attention from the teacher than everyone else.

(Honestly she wanted to think that she was like Daisuke, lazy in school and hardworking at home, but nope. She was the epitome of the demon very commonly known as... _Procrastination!_ )

Insert half-hearted kiddy cheering here.

Aguri sighed, and drummed out a light rhythm with her fingers- the rhythm of the song _Unravel_ (or the opening of Tokyo Ghoul). It had been the only anime song she had learnt properly on the piano, a long time ago...

Something soared past her head and landed on the table in front of her. A crushed paper ball, that looked like it was suspiciously ripped out from the corner of the worksheet they had been given.

She silently picked it up, and the paper unfurled open.

 **Stop doing that, I'm trying to sleep.**

Turning around, she met Daisuke's half-opened sleepy eye and blinked, stuffing the paper in her pencil case.

For a while, Aguri stopped but soon her fingers began to tap the table again, however it was a series of light taps rather than drums. Blankly she eyed the clock.

 _How is it possible that only fifteen minutes have passed?_ She shuffled in her seat in a silent groan. Lessons seemed to have this magical way of warping time. She called bullshit.

On the bright side, it did mean that her doom could be prolonged if not slightly longer. Taijutsu grading began after lunch, which was the period after this. She felt queasy in spite of herself.

The way the gradings worked was simple: your first partner would be your first opponent. After which, the partners would be randomly shuffled around and you would have at least three other spars. Points would be given for each spar and averaged out by the number of spars. Basically, it meant that the grading system was (mostly) fair, but if you go up against someone like Neji in the first round you were basically beat up and pretty much screwed for the remaining spars because you were already all beat up.

Luck was pretty much a big factor. And because the universe (and maybe also Lady Luck) hated her so, of course her first match was against the Hyuuga with the huge pole stuck up his ass.

Damn, whining was making her feel terrible. Instead, she decided to focus on the advice Itachi had so kindly drilled into her the other day, and maybe even figure out a way how she wasn't going to get her ass kicked completely one hour and forty-five minutes later.

.

"Be prepared for your loss." Neji stared at her coldly (albeit childishly) as he strode up calmly in the training ground. The dramatic scene was well complemented with the slightest breeze of the wind and alas, the enthusiastic shrieking of young girls in love.

Or rather, young girls who were in love with what they saw, and had a ridiculous idea that this was love. How were they even crushing on anyone at all? Didn't hormones kick in during teenager years? These kids seem a tad too young for that.

(Not that she could judge them. She had been in love and had a shit ton of crushes, but unfortunately she had never been in a relationship.)

Aguri had no idea whether to chortle or scoff at the display of the fangirls (Tenten being the sole exception, that lovely girl) screaming their lungs off for the Hyuuga. On her side she saw Lee and Daisuke, Lee cheering her on despite the painfully awkward silence in terms of her supporters, and Daisuke giving her a small nudge in the elbow that sort of helped her overall queasiness. She even sort of felt bad for the moody way she had talked to him the last time they bumped into each other in public. She wasn't that concerned about losing, she was concerned about getting slowly and painfully beat up and then having to fight another few rounds of over-enthusiastic kids.

All in all, she had a sense of pride for a reason, damn it! She was not losing to a bunch of kids, no matter how talented they were.

(But unfortunately, her wanting to win would hardly change anything, if not nothing. This was a classroom. Everyone had wanted to win from the very start, except for her, of course. You couldn't hold back on things like taijutsu easily, and she was not going to let a bunch of kids beat her up that easily. And she wasn't someone like Shikamaru, who surrendered just so his friend could win. No, she wouldn't ever surrender without a real reason, and there was no way she was going to give up a send Neji a free grade.)

Aguri clenched one of her fists, and she cracked her left knuckle. The slight scowl on Neji's features made her wonder if she offended him somehow. If she did, then good.

Nearby, (surprisingly) standing on neutral ground, Hajime winced at the sound of the cracking sound from her knuckles, and it was clear that he was thinking of the last time he got beat up, long ago. In spite of herself her lips curled up in a smug smile as she felt a childish sense of competitiveness kick in, seeming both foreign yet familiar. Something inside her was rejecting the feeling, but she ignored it and reveled in it.

Dragging her feet forward, she marched up to Neji and stood, her eyes focused on Mizuki in a blank stare. Then, she turned away and faced Neji, grey eyes equaling the cold stare she received.

She brought up two fingers to form the represented half of the Seal of Confrontation, and the Hyuuga a few metres away from her did the same.

"You may began." Mizuki said, smiling, and Aguri could hear the forced agreeableness in the tone of his voice.

She ignored him and skirted away as Neji took on the offence, speeding towards her, his right hand positioned to jab her in her side.

(Thankfully, they had been instructed to keep to a strict only-taijutsu test, but that didn't mean that Neji wouldn't try using Jyuuken if he was feeling particularly unfair.)

She avoided the blow, flitting to the side as she felt herself go on the defensive on instinct, and inwardly she attempted to change that instinct of hers. Going on the defensive was only for those with strength and stamina going on the defensive just to stall for more time. She belonged to neither of the categories. If she let herself only dodge and block now, sooner or later she was bound to slip up and get hit. Itachi's voice passed through her mind like advice that would save you in a crisis.

Ducking under a jab, she skidded on the soles of her feet so that she was closer, and instinctively she grabbed Neji's arm and aimed a punch at his face. It connected with his cheek, and she wondered if it might be considered a dirty trick since she stopped him from moving.

Neji looked peeved, of course.

She stumbled backwards as Neji kicked her away, and once more she faced the onslaught of kicks and punches. Aguri retaliated by weaving in between his blows.

"Stop. Dodging." Neji bit between blows, and his punches took on a sort of increased ferocity.

Heh, it seemed his patience was running low.

She stuck out her tongue at him and on cue she could feel the dirty looks Mizuki and the fangirls were sending her. Well, excuse her for acting her age.

A punch barely missed her and she bit her lip. She was losing steam already, and dodging was the least troublesome way but it was not the most efficient.

"Why aren't you fighting? Don't tell me you are a co-ward."

Aguri almost burst out laughing as Neji tried- and stumbled when saying that word. Well. Was he already at the age where he tried to impress kids with better vocabulary? And why the hell was Neji not getting any dirty looks even though he was dishing out all the implied taunts?

 _(Damn favoritism.)_

"Are you so weak that you can't block any of my attacks? I guess you really are just a little girl." Neji's lips curled up in a smirk as he seemed satisfied by his name-calling. Aguri's grey eyes snapped to his, eyes glimmering in cold, dark amusement. Her lips curled up tautly and her thumb twitched.

 _Well, Hyuuga. Two can play at that game._

(In the crowd, Hajime remembers seeing this expression before, and nervously his hand flew up to touch his nose, even though it broke so long ago. He shivered.)

She stopped, and so did the Hyuuga.

"Well, kid. This little girl doesn't appreciate your name-calling. Talk to me again when you find a more unorthodox way of insulting me. You sound like an egocentric brat, you know that?" She commented, her smile stretching on her face unnaturally.

Her hands then clapped together and she feigned a look of surprise.

"Oh wait! What am I talking about, you already are." It has been a while since she brought out her honey-filled tone and she smirked. It was terrible of her, but damn, this was satisfying.

Meters behind her, Mizuki choked on air.

Aguri noted Neji's confused look. He was intelligent enough to figure out that she was insulting him, but he wasn't so mentally advanced that he would understand her words.

"By the way, I don't mean to insult you or anything," _she totally was insulting him_ , "but you know, you look much more feminine than I do."

Neji froze.

"I mean, just look at your hair. It's so pretty." Neji froze in his movements, and began to splutter. The tips of his ears began to grow red.

Aguri took the chance. Running towards him, she skidded under his outstretched arms and tackled him to the floor.

"Winner, Fusako Aguri." Mizuki said, looking like he was being forced to swallow a worm.

Neji got up, reluctantly completing the Reconciliation Sign, before turning away and striding off with a red face and his nose in the air, said pretty hair swishing in the wind as he left. If being a shinobi didn't work out for the Hyuuga, she was certain that he would do well in advertising hair products in the modeling industry.

(And so, that was the first and last time she defeated Neji Hyuuga in taijutsu.)

.

* * *

 **So Neji gets owned.**

 **Thoughts? Reviews and feedback are much appreciated :3**


End file.
